Great National Science Week SENIORS stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Dementia: the science of prevention and treatment (Mandarin and English) - Ryde, NSW
- Step inside a giant, woolly gut – Sydney, NSW
- Over-55s coding to keep the brain young – Phillip, ACT
- Art and astronomy in prisons and nursing homes – Cambridge, TAS
- The fleet of caravans that transformed chronic disease – Busselton, WA
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.
Dementia: the science of prevention and treatment (Mandarin) - Ryde, NSW
Our brains naturally slow down a little as we get older, but serious health issues like dementia are far more severe (and worrying). Professor Daniel Chan can explain how doctors identify dementia, the latest research on prevention and treatment, and how to best support yourself or someone in your life following a diagnosis.
Daniel is an expert on vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease and geriatric health. He is presenting a talk on these topics in Mandarin at Ryde Library (followed by a Q&A session) during National Science Week.
Thursday 20 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/dementia-prevention-by-prof-chan-presented-in-mandarin/ryde
Media enquiries: South Western Sydney Local Health District media office, [email protected] or 02 8738 6848 (After Hours Mobile: 0417 697 079) Prof Chan can conduct interviews in Mandarin or English.
Step inside a giant, woolly gut – Sydney, NSW
Textile artists and community members have knitted a giant walk-in gut to explore the gut microbiome and its impact on mental health.
It’s part of the ‘Gut Feelings’ exhibition, the brainchild of three artists behind a collaborative science-based crafting initiative that builds on the success of the Neural Knitworks project.
For the past three years, the team has presented workshops and informal knit and stitch sessions across Sydney. This has brought people of all ages and abilities together to create textile microbes and intestinal villi and find out about the gut-brain connection.
Community members involved in ‘Gut Feelings’ have engaged with researchers and followed scientifically-informed patterns to knit, crochet, weave and stitch more than 4,000 villi, 450 gut epithelial cells, hundreds of microbes. The result is an exhibition of artworks, including:
- a giant soft sculpture gut filled with knitted villi,
- a life-size crochet silhouette of the body showing the gut-brain connection via the vagus nerve, and
- a crochet version of the Bristol Stool Chart.
Researchers who participated in the project are from UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney, University of Technology and ANSTO.
A workshop at Five Dock Library and free exhibitions at St George Hospital’s Atrium and the Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern will immerse visitors in ‘a playful yet serious’ exploration of the gut-brain axis.
Media enquiries: Pat Pillai, [email protected] or 0408 213 844 and Mary Hyman, 0424 100 597.
Lead artist Pat Pillai and art educator Mary Hayman are available for interviews.
Over-55s coding to keep the brain young – Phillip, ACT
Anyone over 55 who can handle a keyboard and mouse can learn to build colourful, musical, moving creations at a free Creative Computing for Seniors workshop using Scratch – the block-based coding tool used by more than 100 million people worldwide.
In a relaxed setting, participants snap multi-coloured blocks together to make interactive stories, games and animations, no experience required. Lunch and refreshments are included.
The organisers pitch it as a way to keep the brain sharp that’s more fun than crosswords or sudoku and a chance to meet new people and start a local Scratch community.
Saturday 15 August and Saturday 22 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/creative-computing-for-seniors-workshop-using-scratch-10/phillip
Media enquiries: Thomas McCoy, [email protected] or 0402 050 852.
Thomas McCoy available for media interviews; photo and video opportunities available.
Art and astronomy in prisons and nursing homes – Cambridge, TAS
Art and the starry sky are going to prison, the nursing home, and an observatory.
Astrophysicist Dr Karelle Siellez and astrophotographer Lisa Bromfield are set to deliver eight ‘Cosmic Breath’ workshops and presentations through public events, hospice sessions, and prison workshops.
They show stars, planets, nebulae and galaxies through telescopes and projected images, sharing knowledge of what these objects are, how far away they are and how scientists study them.
Blending stargazing with watercolour writing and constellation making, Cosmic Breath brings the night sky to the public and also to people often excluded from traditional science events: older people in palliative care and women in prison.
Friday 14 August and Saturday 15 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/cosmic-breath-stories-stars-and-stillness
Media enquiries: Dr Karelle Siellez, [email protected] or 0404 966 963.
The fleet of caravans that transformed chronic disease – Busselton, WA
In 1966 a small fleet of caravans carrying health researchers arrived at the City of Busselton to survey some 3,400 adults about their lifestyles and health risk.
From these humble beginnings grew one of the world’s leading long-term community health studies: for the past 60 years more than 20,000 participants have helped generate over 600 scientific publications on heart disease, diabetes, lung health and more.
For decades this community partnership has helped shaped the modern understanding of chronic health conditions. Explore the global legacy of the Busselton Health Study Biobank (complete with vintage caravans) in a special anniversary exhibition in Mitchell Park this National Science Week.
Monday 17 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/celebrating-60-years-of-the-busselton-health-study-a-journey-of-discovery/busselton
Media enquiries: Michael Hunter, [email protected] or 08 9754 0548.
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.
