Great National Science Week rural and farming stories up for grabs now around Australia
- AI agronomists, seed-planting farmbots and pest-detecting drones: how will farmers use AI to boost sustainability and profit? – Canberra
- Space farmers wanted – Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and national online
- School students meet the biosecurity experts on the frontline – Katherine and Berrimah, NT
- Grape growing and autonomous tractors: wine science in song – Adelaide, SA
- Is it easier to grow food on Mars than in the South Australian Outback? – Oodnadatta, Andamooka, and Copley, SA
- Cultivating next-gen farmers: school field trips to renewable farms, food labs, and cellar doors – Riverina, NSW
- VR farming, Agbots, and strawberry sundaes at the Ekka – Brisbane
More on these below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.
Individual event details and media contacts
Space farmers wanted – Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and national online
It’s Day 530 on the moon base and you’re eating packaged slop again… until a delivery of nutrient-enhanced microgreens arrives from Earth. Your mission is to sustainably grow and harvest edible plants in an extreme environment. But first you need to learn the basics of plant biology, food chemistry and farming approaches that minimise water, energy and resource use.
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space is supersizing its mission to develop out-of-this-world future foods by enlisting public participation in ‘Grow 4 Launch’ experiments.
Participants will receive a microgreens kit complete with seeds, hydroponics gear and test tools, alongside guidance on how to alter plant sensory traits (colour, taste, smell and texture) and investigate conditions that help sustainable growth.
The project also invites participants to submit recipes, results and ideas for a Spacefood Cookbook which will also feature contributions from astronauts, nutritionists and chefs.
Multiple dates and locations. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/grow-4-launch-grow-test-imagine-the-future-of-food-in-space/
Media enquiries: Lieke Van Der Hulst, lieke.vanderhulst@adelaide.edu.au or 0449 846 067.
Can AI cultivate sustainable farming? – Acton, ACT
How will farmers use AI to boost sustainability and profit?
AI agronomists, seed-planting farmbots, pest-detecting drones, and robotic noses geared for evaluating wine and beer could be part of the answer.
Researchers are busy cultivating its use to selectively control weeds (saving on herbicide); figure out the perfect time to water crops; and identify grapes damaged by bushfire smoke.
Meet the experts when the Australian Academy of Science hosts ‘AI in Food’ at Canberra’s Shine Dome (as part of its series of talks on ‘AI in Science: the promise, perils and path forward’), featuring:
- CSIRO’s Dr Sarah Hartman who is using deep learning to develop an AI agronomist that works for and with farmers.
- University of Melbourne’s Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes, who uses high-tech digital instruments for agriculture, food and wine, alongside his role as investigator at the Plants for Space ARC Centre of Excellence.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/ai-in-science-the-promise-perils-and-path-forward-ai-and-our-food/acton/
Media enquiries: Dan Wheelahan, media@science.org.au or (02) 6201 9444.
Dr Sarah Hartman and Associate Professor Sigfredo Fuentes are available for media interviews.
Be a Top End biosecurity expert for the day – Katherine and Berrimah, NT
School students will meet the scientists on the frontline protecting Australia from exotic pests and diseases arriving from all directions, threatening agricultural and livestock industries.
The Northern Territory is a biosecurity buffer for the rest of Australia, and home to booming primary production industries from cattle to cotton, mangoes and honeybees. Below events are open to schools.
Wednesday 13 August –explore the Northern Territory Government’s Katherine Research Station. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-spectacle-and-ag-adventures-at-katherine-research-station/lansdowne/
Friday 15 August –confront mysterious pathogens and race to find the antidote in ‘Survivor: Northern Territory Biosecurity Quest – Zom-Bee Apocalypse’ at the Berrimah Farm Science Precinct. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/survivor-northern-territory-biosecurity-quest-zom-bee-apocalypse-2/berrimah/
Media enquiries: Anne Lobo, media.daf@nt.gov.au or 0447 131 167.
Fertilising young minds: school ‘field trips’ to renewable farms, food labs and cellar doors – Riverina region, southwest NSW
Grow Our Own is taking high school students behind the scenes of working labs, cellars and paddocks of New South Wales Riverina food bowl.
Free excursions aim to inspire young people to consider future careers in the region, covering everything from the science of winemaking to agricultural engineering, renewable energy farms and more.
Grow Our Own is an industry-led alliance of business, education, and government agencies who seek to inform and inspire young people to live, work and learn within the Riverina region.
Thursday 7 August – Friday 22 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/grow-our-own-stem-industry-tours-2025/
Media enquiries: Katie Pastro, projects@rdariverina.org.au or 0499 572 051.
Songs from the grapevine – Adelaide, SA
Spoilage yeast automated tractors, screw caps, smoke taint and volatile organic compounds all presented in song.
The Australian Wine Research Institute will uncork its ‘best of’ scientific findings spanning seven decades in ‘Songs from the Grapevine’ in collaboration with singer-songwriter Max Savage.
Thursday 7 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/songs-from-the-grapevine/adelaide/
Media enquiries: Max McHenry, mchenry.max@gmail.com 0415 922 253.
For a sneak preview of the show, watch/listen to Autonomous Tractors.
Is it easier to grow food on Mars than in the South Australian Outback? – Oodnadatta, Andamooka and Copley, SA
That’s the curious question behind Science in the Outback Pub events organised by the Outback Communities Authority in partnership with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
Achieving food security is a key challenge for remote communities and disproportionately impacts First Nations Australians. Events will be held in Oodnadatta, Andamooka and Copley, where communities have demonstrated an interest in and capacity for independent food production, including controlled growing environments, community gardens, solar and desalination facilities.
Plants for Space scientists will share insights on future food missions, in Space and on Earth, and explore how their research, technologies and processes could benefit Outback communities.
Media enquiries: Grayson Cooke, grayson.cooke@sa.gov.au or 0415 428 906 and Lieke Van Der Hulst, lieke.vanderhulst@adelaide.edu.au or 0449 846 067.
VR farming, AgBots, and strawberry sundaes – Royal Queensland Show, Brisbane, QLD
Discover them all at the Ekka. Gumboots optional.
Children of all ages can join the ‘Ekka Learning Trail’ – a self-guided tour that showcases Australian Curriculum linked educational activities grounded in AgScience topics.
Saturday 9 – Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-royal-queensland-show-ekka/bowen-hills/
Media enquiries: Veronica Carew, vcarew@rna.org.au or 0408 323 631 and Kelly Hawke, khawke@rna.org.au or 0438 340 989.