Champagne fizz. Cell therapy. Soil. Water. Wildflowers. Stem cell art. And a quantum graphic novel.

Highlights for Victoria:

More on these highlights below.

National Science Week in Victoria is coordinated by Inspiring Victoria. Visit their website: www.rsv.org.au/inspiring-victoria.

For general National Science Week media enquiries, contact scienceweek@scienceinpublic.com.au.

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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, media@museum.vic.gov.au or 0466 622 621.

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National Science Week in Victoria: highlights

Quantum physics and life collide in The Friendship Paradox – Brunswick East

In The Friendship Paradox(Allen & Unwin 2026) scientist-turned-artist Aśka (pronounced Ash-ka) tries to use physics to navigate life.

Aśkais launching their latest graphic novel with a workshop teaching teens how very simple drawings can capture movement, emotion and some complicated ideas.

Aśka’s previous title Stars in Their Eyes (Scholastic, 2023) was a 2024 CBCA Notable Book, Stonewall Honor Book and nominated for the Comic Arts Awards of Australia.

Monday 10 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-science-of-comics-draw-ideas-bend-brains-in-a-good-way/brunswick-east

Media enquiries: Michael Earp, michael@littlebookroom.com.au or 03 7048 4703

Aśka (she/they) is available for media interviews.

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Climate, AI and inequality: why science needs society – Melbourne

From climate change and AI to health, energy and inequality, the biggest challenges facing Australia aren’t just technical – they’re deeply social.

So why are the social sciences still too often an afterthought in scientific problem-solving?

This panel brings together leading thinkers across the social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and public policy – chaired by Academy of the Social Sciences President Professor Kate Darian-Smith, with panellists including Victoria’s Lead Scientist Dr Amanda Caples – to explore what genuinely interdisciplinary thinking looks like. Moderated by Dr Shane Huntington OAM.

Friday 21 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/why-science-needs-the-social-solving-complex-problems-with-interdisciplinary-thinking/melbourne

Media enquiries: Vanessa Barratt, The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, info@socialsciences.org.au or 0450 018 752.

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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. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/champagne-science-bubbles-myths-and-magic/melbourne

Media enquiries: Emma Donnelly, emma@comm-it.com.au or 0408 955 234.

Emma Donnelly is available for media interviews.

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Flying fox inspired installation explores life after collapse – Dandenong

Artists Charlie Lawler and Wona Bae invite audiences to explore ecosystem science through contemporary art.

Their installation ‘Primary Succession’ explores environmental loss through the lens of one of the region’s most vital yet often misunderstood species: the grey-headed flying fox.

Essential pollinators and seed dispersers, these nocturnal animals function as a keystone species whose survival is closely tied to the health and regeneration of entire ecosystems. The artists imagine a future where eco-intelligence and ecological memory replace human-centred systems of control.

Grounded in long-term research into Melbourne and Greater Dandenong landscapes, the work examines a world shaped by colonial extraction, urban expansion and climate crisis. It reflects on how life reorganises itself after ecological rupture.

The project brings together technical partners including Chisholm Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, and RMIT’s Future Play Lab; and conservation partners, including the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.

Saturday 15 August – Saturday 22 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/wona-bae-and-charlie-lawler-primary-succession/dandenong/

Media enquiries: Arts in Greater Dandenong, arts@cgd.vic.gov.au or 03 8571 5320.

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Soil isn’t just dirt: the living world underground – Carlton

Beneath our feet, vast interconnected networks of fungi and microbes quietly sustain life – shaping healthy soils, supporting food systems and locking away carbon.

The Secret Life of Soil takes audiences underground to meet them.

ABC Radio National’s Hilary Harper hosts Gardening Australia’s Hannah Moloney and Museums Victoria’s Simon Hinkley as they explore how modern agriculture has disrupted these systems and how regenerative practices might repair them.

The ticket includes entry to the multisensory Our Wondrous Planet gallery from 8pm to 9pm.

Thursday 20 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-secret-life-of-soil/carlton

Media enquiries: Museum Media, media@museum.vic.gov.au or 0466 622 621

Media enquiries: Sasha Heath, sasha@wildlifewonders.org.au and 03 7046 1664.

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The meat-eating snail from Apollo Bay – Apollo Bay

Meet a meat-eating snail with sharp teeth that hunts slugs and earthwords: the Otways black snail fixes prey in place with long backwards-facing teeth arranged in a V on the underside of its foot.

The Otway Range’s woodlands, gullies and coastal grasslands are home to the black snail and other highly-endangered species, including long-nose potoroos, tiger quolls and swamp wallabies, living in a sanctuary maintained by the non-profit social enterprise Wildlife Wonders.

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. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/walk-with-wildlife-experience-3/apollo-bay

Media enquiries: Sasha Heath, sasha@wildlifewonders.org.au and 03 7046 1664.

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Still life with stem cells: artist Patricia Piccinini spent a year in a lab – Parkville

World-renowned Australian artist Patricia Piccininni 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 Piccininni and Melissa Little are available for interviews.

Media enquiries for Ms Piccininni: Katrina Hall, kathall@ozemail.com.au or 0421 153 046

Media enquiries for Prof Little: Helen Flett, helen.flett@mcri.edu.au or 0408 341 182

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Artists explore adaptation for survival in Science Gallery exhibition – Parkville

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.

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.

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. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/emergencey/parkville-vic-3052

Media enquiries: Katrina Hall, kathall@ozemail.com.au or 0421 153 046

Exhibition curator Tilly Boleyn, Australian designer and academic Alia Parker and US artist David Bowen are available for media interviews.

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Stem-cell treatment one step closer for stroke patients – West Wodonga

A stem cell therapy targeting the damage caused by acute strokes will begin Phase II clinical trials in Victorian hospitals later this year, offering new hope for stroke patients around the world.

Co-lead of the clinical trial Chris Sobey will discuss his research into inflammation in the brain and the development of the new treatment in a free event at La Trobe University’s Albery-Wodonga campus.

Amnion stem cell therapy, which was developed in collaboration by La Trobe University, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Monash Health, recently passed a critical safety benchmark. Now the second stage of clinical trials will establish the efficacy of the treatment for ischemic stroke patients.

Wednesday 19 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/chris-sobey-dedicating-a-lifetimes-work-to-science-and-new-treatments-for-stroke/west-wodonga/

Media enquiries: Julia Brown, Julia.Brown@latrobe.edu.au

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Making a five-star hotel for bees and beetles – Ringwood

Families, gardeners and volunteers will work together to build a giant insect hotel for the Bedford Park Community Garden at Bug City: Building Biodiversity Together, a free hands-on event exploring the vital role native bees, butterflies and other beneficial bugs play in healthy gardens.

Visitors will learn how these creatures help pollinate plants and boost biodiversity, take part in hands-on activities, and help construct the insect hotel from recycled and natural materials – a permanent, educational feature for the community once complete.

A free community barbecue and light refreshments will be on offer, along with opportunities to connect with local schools, environmental groups and sustainability organisations.

Sunday 16 August.Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/bug-city-building-biodiversity-together/ringwood

Media enquiries: Helen Martin, community@crccinc.org.au or 03 9870 2602.

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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, sasha@wildlifewonders.org.au or 03 7046 1664.

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Water: Four artists dive in – Sale

Four Gippsland-based artists – Lesley Duxbury, Elisabeth Scott, Peter Cummings and Lotje McDonald – open a major exhibition on the theme of “Water” at the Bond Street Event Centre, exploring the subject across cultural, societal, philosophical and scientific perspectives.

The opening night includes an artist talk and panel discussion, with all four artists on the panel, encouraging conversation between artists and audience about how they use design, colour, symbolism and metaphor to convey meaning. The ticket includes supper; bookings are essential.

Friday 14 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/water-exhibition-opening-exhibition-and-engaging-panel-discussion/sale

Media enquiries: Allison Yanez, The Bond Street Event Centre, allisonabern@hotmail.com or 03 5182 8770.

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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.

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, Caulley.Rob@abc.net.au .