Scientists, experts and event organisers are available for interview throughout the ‘week’.
Here are Victorian highlights from the national festival that reaches more than 3 million people through 2,500+ events. National Science Week will run 15 to 23 August 2026.
Direct contact details for each event listed below and online.
Contact national publicist Tanya Ha for contacts and tips: [email protected] or 0404 083 863.
Highlights for Victoria:
- Making lungs in the lab:
stem cell scientists dissecting diseases – Parkville - The best champagne glass
and other science surprises in a bottle of bubbly - Melbourne - The Pitt and ER:
how real is a TV emergency department? – Geelong - The art of survival:
EMERGENCE(Y) exhibition explores adaptation – Parkville - Tracking humans:
who owns the map of where you’ve been? – Melbourne - Chronic diseases:
why the gut-immune system-brain link matters – Melbourne - Life in a droplet:
invisible animals holding our waterways together – Box Hill - Meet the minds behind Melbourne Museum – Carlton
- Tiger quolls, swamp wallabies and potoroos – Apollo Bay
- What is Australia’s most amazing wildflower? – online
- Feeding the future:
Students present their ideas for future food systems – online - TONIGHT: Launch event: 6:30pm at Melbourne Museum
More on these below including contact details for interview.
Or find more stories in your area at ScienceWeek.net.au/events.
Visit the Media Centre for all media releases and images.
Victoria’s launch: 6:30pm Thursday 13 August, Melbourne Museum
Inspiring Australia (Victoria) kicks off National Science Week with researchers from the Museums Victoria Research Institute, Zoos Victoria and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
Hear about their important research before exploring Our Wondrous Planet, Melbourne Museum’s most expansive science and biodiversity gallery.
Where: 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Media enquiries: Museums Victoria Media & Communications team, [email protected] or 0466 622 621.
Making lung, brain, muscle and kidney tissue in the lab to find new treatments – Parkville
Meet the stem cell scientists whose work is changing our understanding of debilitating diseases and forging a path to new or better treatments:
- Dr Rhiannon Werder is researching stem cell-grown lung tissue to transform the discovery of new therapies for respiratory diseases, from genetic conditions like cystic fibrosis to infections including the common cold.
- Dr Callum Dark grows muscle tissue in the lab to find treatments for muscle conditions that affect people as they get older.
- Dr Kellie Veen makes 3D models of specific brain regions to understand Alexander disease, a progressive and fatal childhood disease.
- Dr Jessica Vanslambrouck who is using new ideas to grow kidney tissue in the lab that could one day improve treatments for patients with kidney disease.
- Dr Roslyn Le Gautier who brings together researchers, patients and clinicians to help shape new treatments, including stem cell technologies, to meet patients’ needs.
These researchers from the reNEW node at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) are sharing their work in a series of short talks alongside the art exhibition EMERGENCE[Y] at Science Gallery Melbourne. Visitors can also see Patricia Piccinini’s Células Madre, the work produced after a residency at MCRI as a follow-up to her seminal work Still Life with Stem Cells.
Saturday 15 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/stem-cell-lightning-talks/parkville/
Media enquiries: Helen Flett, [email protected] or 0408 341 182.
The best champagne glass and other science surprises in a bottle of bubbly - Melbourne
From the best shape for a champagne glass to the physics of fizz, there’s a lot of surprising science packed into a lovely bottle of bubbly (and a few misleading myths).
Emma Donnelly is available to explore the science of Champagne, uncorking history, science, and the secret to a perfect pour. Emma studied Champagne through the University of Champagne-Ardenne in France before founding Culinary Science to combine her love of flavour, psychology and sensory science.
Tuesday 25 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/champagne-science-bubbles-myths-and-magic/melbourne
Media enquiries: Emma Donnelly, [email protected] or 0408 955 234.
Emma Donnelly is available for media interviews.
In a real emergency department, nobody knows what is wrong – Geelong
On television, Dr Robby (The Pitt) and Dr Ross (ER) crack the case quickly, dramatically and decisively. In an actual emergency department the information is incomplete, the symptoms do not point anywhere in particular, and the high-stakes decisions still have to be made.
Dr Mary Dahm, Senior Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism in Deakin University’s School of Medicine, researches how doctors and patients talk about diagnosis, risk and uncertainty. Over 45 minutes and a Q&A she covers why uncertainty is unavoidable, how it is communicated to patients and families, and what medical dramas leave out.
Part of Talks on Tuesdays, a lecture series held in Geelong pubs, bars and social venues.
Tuesday 25 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/uncertainty-in-emergency-what-the-pitt-and-er-dont-tell
Media enquiries: Pauline Braniff, [email protected] or 0418 361 890.
Patricia Piccinni and other artists adapt to survive in new Science Gallery exhibition - Parkville
Patricia Piccinni spent a year immersed in stem cell research laboratories to create Células Madre, which revisits her seminal early work Still Life with Stem Cells. US artist David Bowen uses wind data collected from the Perseverance Mars rover to make tele-present wind, while designer and academic Alia Parker grew vats of fungal leather for her collection of modern mushroom clothing that is naturally fire-retardant, hydrophobic and compostable.
These collisions of art and science are all part of EMERGENCE(Y), an exhibition at the University of Melbourne’s Science Gallery that explores how humanity can adapt in the face of environmental, social and political collapses.
Saturday 15 to Saturday 22 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/emergencey/parkville-vic-3052
Media enquiries: Katrina Hall, [email protected] or 0421 153 046.
Science Gallery Melbourne Director Ryan Jeffries, Australian designer and academic Alia Parker and US artist David Bowen are available for media interviews.
Who owns the map of where you have been? – Melbourne
Satellites, drones and sensors manage traffic, respond to emergencies and monitor disasters. They also track our movements constantly, raising questions about privacy, who controls location data, and who gets a say in how places are mapped and understood.
Geography Victoria and the Royal Society of Victoria host a symposium on the possibilities and the perils, with five speakers from industry, government and academia talking about both the applications and the underappreciated dangers.
Speakers are Alena Moison (Director, Vicmap, Department of Transport and Planning), Kirk Mitchell (Director of Geo Partnerships at Google and Adjunct Professor, RMIT University), Associate Professor Jathan Sadowski (Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Monash University), Amy Griffin (Senior Lecturer in Geospatial Science, RMIT University) and Mina Jahanshahi (Data Insights & Solutions, Veris Australia).
Thursday 20 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-power-of-geospatial-science-promise-and-peril
Media enquiries: Elizabeth Hillman, Geography Victoria, [email protected] or 0407 110 698.
How the gut, immune system and brain connect - Melbourne
90% of chronic health conditions are linked to interactions between the gut, immune system, and the brain. Research in this area is critical for breakthroughs to treat and prevent conditions that range from digestive disorders to cognition and mental health challenges.
Meet the researchers from Monash University’s Gastroenterology, Immunology and Neuroscience (GIN) Program.
They’re presenting short talks at Brick Lane Brewing Co exploring how the gut, immune system, and brain are communicating to shape your health. From how microplastics may affect the earliest stages of life, to the gut signals that impact brain health, each speaker will unpack a different piece of the story.
Saturday 22 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/bridges-of-the-body-how-the-gut-immune-system-brain-connect/melbourne
Media enquiries: Meg Mackean, [email protected]
Meg Mackean is available for media interviews.
GIN Program co-leads Prof Ben Marsland, Prof Richelle Mychasiuk and Dr Emma Halmos can also be coordinated with for interviews.
The invisible animals holding our waterways together – Box Hill
Drawing on more than 20 years in aquatic micro-invertebrate ecology, Dr Robert Walsh reveals the microscopic organisms – the zooplankton smaller than 2mm – that underpin aquatic food webs and sustain larger ecosystems.
Artist Emma X Zhang brings these unseen realms into view through microscopic image-stacking, processed prints, fabric works and light installations in her exhibition After-Image. Together they explore how a fusion of science and art can make the invisible not only visible but felt.
Deep Dive features an exhibition tour and a presentation on aquatic organisms and ecosystems.
Tuesday 18 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/deep-dive-art-and-aquatic-ecology-with-dr-robert-walsh-and-emma-x-zhang/box-hill
Media enquiries: Marguerite Brown, [email protected] or 03 9262 6250
Meet the minds behind the Melbourne Museum – Carlton
For one day, the scientists, researchers and collection experts behind Melbourne Museum step into the spotlight at Science on Show, sharing fascinating stories, rare specimens and surprising discoveries.
Visitors can explore hands-on displays, pop-up talks and family-friendly activities, then gather at the central stage for live quizzes, music, storytime and expert presentations. Young scientists can join a gardening workshop and plant a native seedling to take home.
From ancient fossils to living species and mineral marvels, it’s a chance to experience science up close.
Saturday 22 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-on-show-at-melbourne-museum/carlton
Media enquiries: Museum Media, [email protected] or 0466 622 621.
Tiger quolls, swamp wallabies and a meat-eating snail - Apollo Bay
The Otway Range’s woodlands, gullies and coastal grasslands are home to long-nose potoroos, tiger quolls and swamp wallabies, living in a sanctuary maintained by the non-profit social enterprise Wildlife Wonders.
You might also spot the highly-endangered meat-eating Otways black snail the fixes prey like slugs and earthworms in place with long backwards-facing teeth arranged in a V on the underside of its foot.
Within the predator-proof zone the Conservation Ecology Centre researches Australian biodiversity and conservation. During National Science Week, children and student groups can join guided walking tours of the sanctuary for free.
Saturday 15 August-Sunday 23 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/walk-with-wildlife-experience-3/apollo-bay
Media enquiries: Sasha Heath, [email protected] or 03 7046 1664.
What do you think is Australia’s most amazing wildflower? – online
ABC Science wants Australians to discover our hidden “flower power”, the kind you find in botanical gardens rather than hippie communes.
With the help of experts, ABC Science has selected ten flowering plants from across the country.
Not just another banksia or waratah, but blooms from the unsung understory that also do something unbelievable. These ten wildflowers are more than just a pretty face; each one hides a surprising superpower. The public will decide which is the most amazing.
Voting to decide Australia’s most amazing wildflower will start just before National Science Week in August, with the winning bloom announced on Friday August 21 in a live broadcast on Radio National.
The shortlist:
- Bladderwort (Utricularia) – Traps and digests insects inside tiny floating “bladders”
- Star flower (Calytrix) – Changes colour like a ‘traffic-light’ to direct pollinators
- Flannel flower (Actinotus) – Blooms from bushfire ashes like a floral phoenix
- Flying duck orchid (Caleana) – Traps insects for pollination and looks like a duck!
- Mulla mulla (Ptilotus) – Thrives, and flowers, in tough, hot arid environments
- Murnong/yam daisy (Microseris) – Provided a significant year-round nutritious food for Indigenous people
- Richea scoparia – Survives extreme cold and feeds snow skinks
- Creamy candle (Stackhousia) – Looks like a candle and emits a sweet fragrance at night
- Triggerplant (Stylidium) – Hits insects with pollen using a catapult-like trigger
- Underground orchid (Rhizanthella) – Lives underground and looks like a tiny demogorgan.
Wednesday 5 August – Friday 21 August. To find out more and vote, go to www.abc.net.au/wildflowers.
For interviews with Dr Ann Jones, contact Rob Caulley, ABC Publicity, [email protected].
Kids’ Food Systems Conference stimulate student appetite for problem solving – national, online
How will be feed our growing population? How do we use water and other resources, what is our place on Country and how do we address the environmental impacts of food production?
Find out at Kids’ Conference Food Systems 2026, where primary and secondary students (aged 7 to 18) from Australia and the world step up to the presenter’s podium to share their own research. They will deliver 10-minute presentations on their food systems ideas to a panel of science and foodie experts.
A goal of the conference is to share ideas about how we can balance nutritional food production without placing pressure on the natural systems we share with so many other species.
Students presenting at this event also have an opportunity to present their Food Systems project at our main Kids' Conference Australia 2026 event on Monday 16 November at The University of Melbourne.
Thursday 20 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/kids-conference-food-systems-26/
Media enquiries: Dr Stephen Spain, [email protected] or 0466 608 706.
Dr Stephen Spain is available for media interviews. Stephen is principal founder of The Kids’ Conference and is currently an academic teacher at Monash University and previously taught Master of Teaching at University of Melbourne and Australian Catholic University. Find out more: https://kidsconference.online/
About National Science Week
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
