Great National Science Week stories shine a light on women’s interests and women in science
- Help fix Wikipedia’s women problem - Acton, ACT
- Gin from bushtucker: Australia’s only distillery owned and operated entirely by First Nations women – Townsville, QLD
- Scientist puts sex-ed on stage in The Clitoral Chronicles – Ulverstone & Hobart, TAS
- The sound of cosmic collisions: a musical exploration of space-time – Canberra, Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, Brisbane & online
- Meet a microplastics guru and other Queensland innovators – Hamilton, QLD
- Will there be creative jobs for today’s students? - Adelaide, Mawson Lakes, Whyalla & Mount Gambier, SA
- Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science – Canberra, ACT
- Still life with stem cells: artist Patricia Piccinini spent a year in a lab - Parkville, VIC
- Orchids threatened by social media - liked to death – Kings Park, WA
- Female fossil rockers head to the caves – Naracoorte, SA
- Do you love the ocean, or fear it? – Streaky Bay & Penong, SA
More on these below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Scientists, experts, performers and event organisers are available for interview throughout National Science Week.
Read on for direct contact details for each event, or contact Tanya Ha, [email protected] or 0404 083 863.
Visit the Media Centre for all media releases and images available for media use.
Help fix Wikipedia’s women problem - Acton, ACT
Women are featured in less than 20% of Wikipedia’s 1.5 million biographical pages. The Australian National University is calling for Canberrans to help close this gap in a free workshop where participants will update or create Wikipedia biographies for women and gender-diverse scientists.
‘Inclusive Biographies in STEMM’ is hosted by The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science in partnership with WikiMedia Australia.
Wikipedia is a vital source of information online. Not only are its articles prioritised by search engines, the entire database has been scraped millions of times by AI agents. The content gender gap reflects the mostly-male volunteer editors who write and maintain Wikipedia’s articles, as well as the historical minimisation of women’s contributions in science, technology and culture.
Saturday 22 August. www.scienceweek.net.au/event/inclusive-biographies-in-stemm-project-a-mini-wiki-hackathon/acton
Media enquiries: SJ Barnes, [email protected]
Gin from bushtucker: distilling Indigenous botanicals and science – Townsville, QLD
Native lemongrass distilled into gin tastes like roses for some people and lemon for others, depending on their genes.
Proud Wiradjuri woman and gin distiller Clair Ryder blends Traditional Knowledge with modern science and innovative distilling, using ingredients that are ethically sourced with the blessing of Traditional Landowners.
Clair can talk about the chemistry behind native aromatics, the ecological significance of key species, and the cultural knowledge that has shaped their use for thousands of years.
She is presenting ‘Bush Alchemy’, a 90 minute guided experience hosted by On Country Craft Distillery, the only distillery owned and operated entirely by First Nations women in Australia.
This session blends scientific insight with tasting raw bushtucker ingredients. Participants then experience how those same botanicals evolve when infused into spirits and incorporated into food.
Saturday 22 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/bush-alchemy-exploring-indigenous-botanicals-and-bushtucker-in-spirits/douglas/
Media enquiries: Clair Ryder, [email protected] or 0478 599 035.
Scientist puts sex-ed on stage in The Clitoral Chronicles – Ulverstone & Hobart, TAS
The Clitoral Chronicles lifts the hood on the most misunderstood organ in biology: the clitoris!
The clitoris has been overlooked, under-appreciated and literally written out of history for centuries, but now Dr Tiana Pirtle, who has a PhD in reproductive ecology and physiology, is putting it centre-stage. She is joined by props and performers wearing sparkly clitoris and penis costumes.
Blending comedy, physical theatre, outrageous anatomical costumes and wild true stories from the animal kingdom, the show flips outdated ideas about sex, gender and science on their head — and puts female and LGBTQIA+ perspectives centre stage.
Dr Pirtle’s previous show ‘Vaginal Vignettes’ shared the stories of the multi-chambered vaginas and temporary passages, elongated clitorises, pseudo-penises, vaginas that can sort sperm, and armoured vaginal openings that put female animals in the driver’s seat of reproduction and evolution.
Read a UTas article about her work. Hear her on the Science Vs episode ‘When vaginas attack!’.
Ulverstone: Tuesday 11 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-clitoral-chronicles-3/ulverstone/
Hobart: Friday 21 August and Saturday 22 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-clitoral-chronicles-4/hobart/
Media enquiries: Tiana Pirtle, [email protected] or 0456 826 322.
The sound of cosmic collisions: a musical exploration of space-time – Canberra, Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide, Brisbane & online
The most violent events in the universe create elements such as gold, platinum and the iodine in human blood. Dr Karelle Siellez is listening to the aftermath of these massive kilonovae through electromagnetic radiation and gamma-ray bursts. She will explore the ‘sound’ of cosmic collisions, and what these signals reveal about the universe, during public talks across the country as part of the 2026 Marie Curie lecture series, promoting women in physics.
Karelle is an astrophysicist and lecturer at the University of Tasmania. She contributed to the first detection of a gamma-ray burst and gravitational waves from the same cosmic event, recognised with the 2017 Breakthrough Prize. She is also an award-winning science communicator who integrates art, sound, and storytelling into her work.
Media enquiries: Dr Karen Livesey and Dr Karen Siu (Marie Curie Tour Co-ordinators), [email protected], 0478 260 533
Meet a microplastics guru and other Queensland innovators – Hamilton, QLD
Microplastics researcher Dr Cassandra Rauert and the robotics engineers building Australia’s Moon rover will headline the Science Week Business Showcase, a free evening exploring how science, technology, engineering and maths shape Brisbane businesses.
Dr Rauert, a Senior Research Fellow at the Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences, will discuss her world-leading microplastics research and industry partnerships, while EPE Engineers will share how they are building Australia’s “Roo-ver” robot for the Moon.
Environmental scientist and Queensland Chief Scientist Prof Kerrie Wilson will also talk about the strategy driving Queensland's sustainable economic growth.
Free to attend thanks to Inspiring Australia – Queensland, the event is open to business owners, students curious about STEM careers, and anyone interested in Brisbane’s innovation sector.
Thursday 13 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-week-business-showcase/hamilton
Media enquiries: Alana Rauert, [email protected] or 0417 041 929.
Dr Cassandra Rauert, Prof Kerrie Wilson and EPE engineers are available for media interviews.
Will there be creative jobs for today’s students? - Adelaide, Mawson Lakes, Whyalla & Mount Gambier, SA
What role should AI play in creative work? How do we balance innovation with ethical responsibility? What choices do we want young people and communities to make as technology develops? And what is Australia’s place in this global technological transformation?
Prime Minister Albanese is establishing an AI office. What do the experts say? Ask Australian AI researchers Dr Rebecca Marrone and Dr Maria Vieira.
Dr Rebecca Marrone is a Senior Lecturer at Adelaide University’s Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L). She has a background in educational psychology, and her research is primarily in the fields of creativity, wellbeing, and human and artificial cognition.
Dr Maria Vieira holds a PhD in STEM and a master’s degree in the psychology of creativity. As a member of the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L), her research explores creativity, human-AI collaboration, and gender equity, with a particular focus on STEM fields in which women remain underrepresented.
Rebecca and Maria will be speaking at the ‘Future Minds: Creativity and ethics in the age of AI’ series of lectures and student workshops (for years 9-12), inviting audiences to reflect, discuss and engage with some of the most important questions shaping our technological future.
Media enquiries: Annabel Mansfield, [email protected] or 0479 182 489.
Rebecca Marrone and Maria Vieira available for media interviews.
Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science – Canberra, ACT
Canberran researcher Dr Karina Judd presents a smart, sexy, adults-only exploration of geological and earth sciences.
By day, Dr Judd conducts science-engineering-social science research at the Australian National University to make the zero-carbon transition more people-friendly.
By night, she moonlights as ‘Roxie’ in her one-woman cabaret Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret, winning the 2026 Science at the Fringe Award.
“Funny and bold … an enjoyable learning experience!” - judge’s comments, Adelaide Fringe Festival.
What to expect? Cocktail hour geology with sultry songs, smouldering dance, sharp wit and a shimmer of burlesque. No safety glasses required.
Friday 14 – Saturday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/rock-hard-the-geological-cabaret-2/canberra/
Media enquiries: Dr Karina Judd, [email protected] or 0448 318 748.
Dr Judd, who wrote and produced Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret, is available for media interviews. She studied environmental geology at UNSW Sydney, specialising in soil and mineral chemistry before completing Honours in geology showcasing soil chemistry techniques as a useful tool in identifying past tsunamis. And she is a seasoned performer of cabaret, burlesque and dance. See ANU profile: https://cpas.anu.edu.au/people/karina-judd
Still life with stem cells: artist Patricia Piccinini spent a year in a lab - Parkville, VIC
World-renowned Australian artist Patricia Piccinini spent a year immersed in stem cell research laboratories to create her newest work, Células Madre, which revisits her seminal early work Still Life in Stem Cells 25 years later.
Patricia will explore hope, art and science in conversation with leading stem-cell expert Professor Melissa Little, as part of the EMERGENCE(Y) exhibition at the Melbourne Science Gallery.
Saturday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/in-conversation-patricia-piccinini-and-professor-melissa-little-2/parkville
Patricia Piccinini and Melissa Little are available for interviews.
Media enquiries for Ms Piccinini: Katrina Hall, [email protected] or 0421 153 046
Media enquiries for Prof Little: Helen Flett, [email protected] or 0408 341 182
Orchids threatened by social media - liked to death – Kings Park, WA
Social media popularity is threatening some of Australia's most delicate orchid species, attracting well-meaning nature lovers to sensitive sites in destructive numbers, a recent study revealed.
Study co-author Dr Belinda Davis wants people to help protect these orchids. Based at Kings Park Science, she manages the only collection in WA of orchid seeds, friendly fungi and a living collection of orchids.
She will be joining Dr Magali Wright from Landscape Recovery Foundation, Tasmania for an evening talk about enjoying orchids in the wild while minimising harm, drawing on their personal experiences working with orchids.
Friday 4 September. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/liked-to-death-how-social-media-is-threatening-australias-orchids/kings-park/
Media enquiries: Emily Denham, [email protected] or 08 9480 3688
Kings Park science communicator Eugenie Au and WA orchid expert Belinda Davis are available for media interviews. Dr Davis can be filmed in the lab and working in the glasshouse with rare orchids in full bloom.
Female fossil rockers head to the caves – Naracoorte, SA
All female dinosaur-loving supergroup The Ammonites is taking their palaeo-musical show to the Limestone Coast.
The trio – Danni, Morgan and Blair, who graduated from Dinosaur University – are the alter-egos of performers Summa Arrizza, Montana Vincent and Lily Horton-Stewart. Their show explores Australia’s prehistoric past, while shining a light on challenges facing women in science and inspiring girls to follow their lead and dream big!
Friday 14 August to Sunday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/naracoorte-rocks-the-world-beneath-our-feet/naracoorte/
Media enquiries: Michael Mills, [email protected] or 0411 287 381.
Do you love the ocean, or fear it? – Streaky Bay & Penong, SA
Spending time with the ocean changes how we think, feel and act.
Science in the Outback Pub will explore biophilia and biophobia – our love and fear of the sea – with two scientists who also love surfing examining how spending time by the ocean changes the way people think, feel and act.
Dr Brianna Le Busque from Adelaide University examines the growing evidence behind our deep emotional and psychological ties to “blue spaces,” showing how the ocean can improve mood, reduce stress, and foster feelings of calm and energy. She’s also studying people’s anxiety around the impacts of South Australia’s harmful algal bloom.
Dr Rebecca Olive from RMIT University is turning surfers, swimmers and walkers into beach scientists. They provide photos and data for coastal monitoring, such as day-to-day wave movements or algal bloom sightings, via CoastSnap, a citizen science platform and app. She is an expert in human-environment relationships.
They’re giving talks and bringing their research out of the lab and into public venues in Streaky Bay and Penong.
Streaky Bay: Tuesday 18 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-outback-pub-2/streaky-bay
Penong: Wednesday 19 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-outback-pub-3/penong/
Media enquiries: Grayson Cooke, [email protected] or 0415 428 906.
Brianna Le Busque, Rebecca Olive and event organiser Grayson Cooke are available for media interviews.
National Science Week: background
National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its contribution to our lives. Science drives economic and social change – from safe and nutritious food to reducing cancer deaths; from smart phones to AI; from under Antarctica’s ice floes to distant planets.
First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year about 3 million people participated in more than 2,500 registered events and activities.
National Science Week 2026 runs from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.
National Science Week is proudly supported by the Australian Government, alongside key partners Questacon, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and ABC Science.
