Dozens of Science Week stories around New South Wales
- Fire weather, a year-round reality
- VR portal to Torres Strait Islander culture, Aboriginal astronomy, cultural use of seaweeds
- An icy ocean expert and the navy’s weather forecaster talk climate and careers
- Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science
- Psychedelics, flicker light therapy, hypnosis and other mind-altering tools
- What happens if you find a dinosaur bone in your back yard?
- Step inside a giant, woolly gut
- Preschoolers dissect owl vomit
- Seahorse hotels, zebra sharks and underwater forests
- Giant puppet insects take centre stage
- Follow food from lips to lavatory in the giant inflatable Poo Palace
- Deaf kids camp at nuclear reactor
- What does DNA sound like?
- Knot maths to untangle transit maps, social networks and machine learning
- Science in the Swamp
- Cultivating next-gen farmers: school field trips to renewable farms, food labs and cellar doors
- The art of endangered birds and environmental activism
- Rescue a model whale, knot-tying and chemistry of distress flares
- Zoo poo, singing frogs and elephants using infrasound
- Play with light: hologram workshop
- Stargazing, robotics, First Nations science and a ‘Fab Lab’ for digital creatives
- Get to grips with rockets, croc and lava lamps
- Planetarium show tells stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars
- Vote for Australia’s most underrated animals
More on these highlights below.
National Science Week in New South Wales is coordinated by Inspiring NSW. Visit their website: inspiringnsw.org.au.
National Science Week in NSW: highlights
Fire weather, a year-round reality – Kensington
‘Bushfire season’ is now a year-round reality – and not just in Australia.
In the aftermath of the hottest decade on record, Australia’s extreme bushfire behaviour expert and mathematical scientist Professor Jason Sharples (UNSW Canberra) unpacks the future in conversation with John Vaillant, award-winning Canadian author of Fire Weather.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/john-vaillant-fire-weather/kensington
Media enquiries: Alison Sobel, allison.sobel@unsw.edu.au or 0404 902 729 and Ione Davis, ione.davis@unsw.edu.au.
Sky Country, Indigenous Knowledge and VR – Redfern
How can virtual reality games open a portal to Torres Strait Islander culture? What does Aboriginal astronomy tell us about the night sky? And how do Indigenous knowledge systems help us understand physics, healthcare and environmental sustainability?
‘Indigenous Science Experience’ at Redfern Community Centre celebrates Indigenous knowledge systems and their impact on safeguarding natural resources, sustainable living and innovation. Activities also explore the science of sound, weaving, bush foods, cultural uses of seaweeds, and movement science incorporating Aboriginal dance.
Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-science-experience-at-redfern-5/redfern/
Media enquiries: Joanne Jamie, joanne.jamie@mq.edu.au, 0439 170 683.
Indigenous student leaders, First Nations activity providers, and event organiser Joanne Jamie (non-Indigenous) are available for media interviews. View video from 2024 event.
An icy ocean expert and the navy’s weather forecaster talk climate and careers – Sydney
High school students are set to take a deep dive into climate science, meteorology and oceanography at the Australian National Maritime Museum. They will meet:
- Swimmer, surfer and Australia’s leading ocean modeller, Matthew England, who first captured Antarctic water-masses in global climate models. The UNSW Scientia Professor received the Pavel S. Molchanov Climate Communications Prize.
- Royal Australian NavyMeteorology and Oceanography Officer, Lieutenant Holly Boubouras, who spent a stint working in Antarctica.
Students will explore the museum, including its science exhibitions and a Navy Destroyer.
Friday 15 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/decoding-the-ocean/darling-harbour/
Media enquiries: Alex Gonzalex, alex.gonzalez@sea.museum / media@sea.museum or 0401 545 778.
Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science – Dubbo
Canberra-based researcher Dr Karina Judd returns to her hometown Dubbo for a smart, sexy, adults-only exploration of geological and earth sciences.
By day, Dr Judd researches science-engineering-social science collaboration for sustainable futures at the Australian National University.
By night, she moonlights as ‘Roxie’ in her one-woman cabaret Rock Hard! The Geological Cabaret.
What to expect? Cocktail hour geology with sultry songs, smouldering dance, sharp wit and a shimmer of burlesque. No safety glasses required.
Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/rock-hard-the-geological-cabaret/dubbo
Media enquiries: Dr Karina Judd, karina.judd@gmail.com 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 tsunami. And she is a seasoned performer of cabaret, burlesque and dance. See ANU profile: cpas.anu.edu.au/people/karina-judd.
Alter your consciousness – Marrickville
Can psychedelics, flicker light therapy, hypnosis, meditation and other ancient and modern mind-altering tools improve mental health and cognition?
Find out when researchers from Macquarie University’s Altered States Lab present ‘Science at the Edge of Consciousness’, inviting the public to experience and compare some consciousness altering technologies.
Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-at-the-edge-of-consciousness/marrickville/
Media enquiries: Vince Polito, vince.polito@mq.edu.au or 0420 758 577.
Dr Vince Polito, who leads the Altered States Lab, is available for media interviews.
What happens if you find a dinosaur bone in your back yard? – Ryde
Find out what to do if you dig up a fossil or First Nations artefact from palaeontologist and archaeologist Sally Hurst, who launched ‘Found a Fossil Project’.
She talks about life as a female fossil hunter and invites audience questions when Ryde Library hosts ‘Dinosaurs after Dark’.
Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/dinosaurs-after-dark-with-palaeontologist-sally-hurst-ryde-library/ryde/
Media enquiries: Sally Hurst, sally.hurst@mq.edu.au or 0400 906 823.
Sally Hurst is available for media interviews. The event forms part of the ‘Digging up Ryde’ series, also featuring Jurassic VR experiences, fun fossil digs, volcanoes, and encounters with live lizards, frogs and crocodiles.
Step inside a giant, woolly gut – Gymea
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 two years, the team has presented numerous 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, a life-size figure showing the longest nerve in the body, and an assortment of food.
Researchers who participated in the project are from UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney, University of Technology and ANSTO. Others from Flinders University (South Australia) and the University of Western Australia have provided research images on display alongside the crafted installations.
The free exhibition at Hazelhurt Arts Centre aims to immerse visitors in ‘a playful yet serious’ exploration of the gut-brain axis, including a talk on Sunday 17 August.
Friday 15 August – Tuesday 2 September. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/gut-feelings/gymea/
Media enquiries: Pat Pillai, gutfeelingsartproject@gmail.com or 0408 213 844. Rita Pearce, 0421 049 825, and Mary Hyman, 0424 100 597.
Lead artist Pat Pillai, textile artist Rita Pearce (life-size figure) and art educator Mary Hayman (walk-in gut) are available for interviews.
Preschoolers dissect owl vomit – South West Rocks
Owls swallow their prey whole, compacting indigestible parts in their gizzard and spitting up what’s called an owl pellet.
But what do they eat? South West Rocks Preschool students will find out in an owl pellet dissection class, using tweezers to separate and identify undigested fur, hair and bones that the birds regurgitate.
Monday 11 August and Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/owl-pellet-dissection/south-west-rocks/
Media enquiries: Ruth Armitage, ruthjarmitage@gmail.com or 0475 838 439.
Saving the Sydney seahorse, protecting the zebra shark and restoring Sydney’s underwater forests – Barangaroo
Ocean researchers are going to great efforts to protect and restore Sydney’s ocean environments and are available for interview:
- Aliah Banchik, a sharks and rays researcher and contestant on the new Netflix series All the Sharks.
- Mitchell Brennan of the Sydney Seahorse Project, who is breeding more than 140 Sydney seahorses and releasing them into ‘seahorse hotels’ in Sydney Harbour.
- Dr Janine Ledet of Living Seawalls, who creates underwater habitat modules to increase biodiversity around seawalls and piers.
- Isobel Lerpiniere of the NSW Ocean Outlook program, who is keeping a finger on the ocean’s pulse by tracking turtles, seals and fish populations and monitoring water quality.
- Tia Bool of Project Restore, which is a world first in a seascape-wide approach to restoring many habitats at once, from fish pods to living walls to underwater forests.
- Emma Bowen of the Integrated Marine Observing System, who is leading a national program of ocean monitoring.
These experts will also take part in a panel discussion at the SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium on the diverse paths, insights and challenges faced by conservation researchers. The aquarium’s current exhibits highlight these projects and the impact of research on habitat restoration, fisheries sustainability and endangered species protection.
Thursday 14 August. Event details: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/event/decoding-the-ocean-listening-learning-and-leading/barangaroo
Media enquiries: Aliah Banchik, Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS), aliah.banchik@sims.org.au, 0474 702 152.
Giant puppet insects take centre stage – Penrith
Giant but friendly creepy crawlies become heroes in Beetle, inviting kids to discover Australian bush habitats through puppetry, circus, physical theatre and animation.
The show by Sydney-based theatre company, Legs On The Wall, tells an enchanting story of sustainability via a child’s quest to find the now elusive Christmas Beetle.
Friday 8 August – Saturday 9 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/beetle-by-legs-on-the-wall/penrith/
Media enquiries: Fleur Wells, fleur.wells@penrith.city or 0415 348 528.
Step inside the Poo Palace – Newcastle
Experience the journey that food goes on, and ask the experts about digestion, farts and faeces, gut health and good bacteria.
The Poo Palace is a giant inflatable re-creation of the digestive system where children take a sensory adventure through the gastrointestinal tract, from lips to lavatory.
It is made up of 4 modules that mimic the journey food takes along the digestive tract (mouth, stomach, small intestine, large intestine).
Children learn firsthand how food moves through the body, and through live experiments with researchers from the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/hunter-science-festival-3/newcastle/
Media enquiries: El Fitchett, El.Fitchett@hmri.org.au or (02) 4042 0827.
Deaf kids camp at nuclear reactor – Lucas Heights
Nuclear scientists and deaf educators unpack the science behind our universe – at the atomic level – in a three-day camp on the site of Australia’s only nuclear reactor, OPAL.
Designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing youth (aged 12 to 17), the initiative is organised by Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) in partnership with Deaf Youth Australia.
Located at ANSTO’s Lucas Heights campus, activities cover site tours; workshops on everything from atoms and elements to microscopy and radioactivity; 3D printing and robotics demonstrations; and bushwalking and outdoor games.
The OPAL reactor produces radiopharmaceuticals for nuclear medicine and neutron beams for research. It also supplies more than half the global demand for irradiated silicon used in electronics and green technologies.
Thursday 7 August – Saturday 9 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/deaf-youth-science-camp/lucas-heights/
Media enquiries: Dr Bridget Murphy, bridgetm@ansto.gov.au or 0403 965 403.
Deaf educators are available for media interviews with an Auslan interpreter present. To ensure time to book an interpreter, please arrange media interviews with extra notice (one week if possible).
What does DNA sound like? – Sydney
Join 80s pop drummer-turned-molecular biology scientist, Dr Mark Temple, for a live performance at the Opera House.
The Hummingbirds ex-drummer, now based at Western Sydney University, shares a novel perspective on genetic information, including music created from eucalyptus and myrtle rust DNA.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/synthetic-compositions-music-made-from-artificial-dna-sequences/sydney
Media enquiries: Dr Mark Temple, m.temple@westernsydney.edu.au or 0412 600 712.
Dr Temple is available for media interviews. Before completing his PhD in molecular biology, he was a professional musician/drummer in Australian indie-rock group, The Hummingbirds. In 2020, he created Coronacode Music. The composition substitutes regions of the coronavirus genome with computer-generated musical notes. And, in 2017, he published a study in BMC Bioinformatics on how audio can be used to distinguish a gene sequence from repetitive DNA: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-017-1632-x
Live visuals of DNA sequences will be projected in sync with the music.
Knot maths to untangle transit maps, social networks, and machine learning – Camperdown
Meet maths professor Zsuzsanna Dancso, who uses the mathematics of knots to untangle complex transit maps, understand social networks, and improve machine learning.
Zsuzsanna shares how algebra and the mathematics of knots reveal surprising connections between shapes and systems.
Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/knots-graphs-and-algebra-a-story-of-surprises-sydney-mathematical-research-institute-public-lecture/camperdown
Media enquiries: Catherine Meister, smri.comms@sydney.edu.au or 0466 923 937.
Professor Zsuzsanna Dancso is available for media interviews.
Fertilising young minds: school ‘field trips’ to renewable farms, food labs and cellar doors – Riverina region
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.
Science in the swamp: superpowers of nature – Centennial Park
Explore plankton’s critical role in conservation, ID a frog, learn how Indigenous knowledge systems harness nature’s superpowers, use solar scopes to observe the sun, or wander the wetlands.
‘Science in the Swamp’ also features Ginger the life-sized Australovenator dinosaur, a spider show, explosive experiments, slime station, optical illusions, a scavenger hunt and more.
The free family event is a partnership between Centennial Parklands and a series of science exhibition providers. The 2025 theme explores extraordinary adaptations of plants, animals and ecosystems – revealing how ‘superpowers of nature’ sustain life on Earth.
Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-swamp-2025/centennial-park
Media enquiries: media@gsp.nsw.gov.au
The art of endangered birds & environmental activism – Wyangala and Cowra
Exploring endangered birds through drawing, collage and wet collodion photography will be one of the highlights of a series of workshops, talks and exhibitions focused on environmentalism during ERTHWRX25.
The multi-day event celebrates 10 years of science, arts and cultural programming across Central West NSW, and also features Wiradjuri night sky stories with cultural knowlede holder Doug Sutherland.
The initiative is orgnised by the CORRIDOR project (a not-for-profit multidisciplinary arts and cultural organisation) and Orange Cowra Cabonne Science Hub, bringing together community, scientists, cultural knowledge holders, artists, architects, ecologists, and academics.
Key topics include:
- Biodiversity conservation and regenerative farming
- Cultural museum collections and First Nations astronomy
- Global wildlife disease and planetary systems
- Soil health, mycology and earth sciences
- Circular economies, water sustainability and renewable energy
Saturday 9 August & Sunday 10 August (The CORRIDOR Project, Wyangala)
www.scienceweek.net.au/event/erthwrx25/wyangala/
Saturday 16 August & Sunday 17 August (Micro Gallery Cowra)
Media enquiries: Phoebe Cowdery, phoebe@thecorridorproject.org or 0413 910 697.
The CORRIDOR project based near Cowra is a multidisciplinary arts organisation providing a platform for education and cultural pursuits to explore the science, technology and Indigenous knowledge of the Central West. The lead partner in the Orange Cowra Cabonne Science Hub, the CORRIDOR project presents a diverse program of art/science engagement experiences for the community.
Science behind saving lives at sea – Port Macquarie
Rescue a model whale, compete in knot-tying, goggle at underwater drones and learn how waves, wind and currents impact marine rescue operations. From the chemistry of distress flares to physics of personal floatation devices, survival at sea is anchored to advances in science.
Volunteer Marine Rescue NSW invites the public to discover the underlying scientific principles that make search and rescue operations possible.
Meet marine rescue volunteers, master mariners, an ex-Navy clearance diver, remote sensing experts, and marine and earth systems scientists at this family-friendly event, complete with competitions and prizes.
Alison Cameron-Brown, a master level mariner, will also discuss the role of women in the marine industry, highlighting careers in marine science.
Saturday 9 August & Saturday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-science-of-behind-saving-lives-at-sea/port-macquarie/
Media enquiries: Dr Dustin Welbourne, pr.portmacquarie@marinerescuensw.com.au or 0408 434 765.
Get to grips with rockets, crocs, lava lamps, Indigenous astronomy and more at ‘Science on the South Coast’ – Nowra, Batemans Bay and Wollongong
Launch a rocket, fly a virtual reality Navy chopper, hold a crocodile, build a lava lamp, gawp at liquid nitrogen shows, examine your muscles with ultrasound and journey through ancient Indigenous songlines.
These are just some of the free activities on offer during ‘Science on the South Coast’ at University of Wollongong’s rural campuses (Nowra and Batemans Bay), and state-of-the-art Science Space in North Wollongong.
‘Science on the South Coast’ aims to demonstrate accessibility of science careers in rural communities, increase participation of Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and better engage audiences with visual/hearing impairment through sensory science interactions.
Friday 14 August: Batemans Bay: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-on-the-south-coast-interactive-activities-at-uow-shoalhaven-campus/batemans-bay/
Saturday 16 August: Nowra: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-showcase-uow-shoalhaven-campus/west-nowra/
Media enquiries: Theresa Larkin, tlarkin@uow.edu.au or 0406 572 148.
Planetarium show and cultural yarning explore Australia-wide stories of Indigenous science, Songlines and stars – Wollongong
Tour Australia through a First Nations cultural lens. Talk to Indigenous scientists and hear stories that shape Songlines and Sky Country in a planetarium show at University of Wollongong’s Science Space.
The cultural yarn will be led by Dr Crystal Arnold, a Gundungurra woman and academic based in the University of Wollongong’s School of Social Sciences, and Peter Hewitt, a Jerrinja Yuin man and academic in Aboriginal Education. They will share the stories of Gurawul (whale) and Buru (kangaroo) that inform connectedness to Country. The event forms part of ‘Science on the South Coast’.
Tuesday 12 August: Indigenous Science, Songlines and Stars: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-science-songlines-and-stars-planetarium-shows-and-presentations-in-the-uow-science-space/wollongong/
Media enquiries: Theresa Larkin, tlarkin@uow.edu.au or 0406 572 148.
Stargazing, robotics, First Nations science and a ‘Fab Lab’ for digital creatives – Lake Macquarie
Lake Mac STEAM Week returns with a focus on First Nations science, art-meets-science and engineering.
Drop into Lake Mac Libraries in Windale for ‘taster’ maker workshops at the Fab Lab (the first digital fabrication lab in regional NSW, pictured). Peer into futuristic dioramas created by local high school students illustrating their vision for housing, sustainability and recreation in the Year 2045. And talk to Worimi man/entrepreneur and PhD candidate Joshua Gilbert (named Australian Geographic Young Conservationist of the Year in 2016) about his new book Australia’s Agricultural Identity: An Aboriginal Yarn.
Explore the science of stargazing via a multi-sensory, 360-degree projection artwork at The Cube (located in the Multi-Arts Pavilion).
The 2025 program covers two highlight events: ‘Lake Mac FULL STEAM’ and ‘Look to the Stars’.
Saturday 9 August – Lake Mac FULL STEAM: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/lake-mac-full-steam/windale/
Saturday 16 August – Look to the Stars: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/lake-mac-look-to-the-stars/speers-point/
Media enquiries:
For Lake Mac STEAM Week, Fiona Watson, fwatson@lakemac.nsw.gov.au or 0428 283 059.
For Look to the Stars, David Rastas, drastas@lakemac.nsw.gov.au or 0447 297 335.
Zoo poo, singing frogs, and elephants using infrasound – Bungarribee
How do wild animals and insects communicate? What can animal poo samples and genetics tell us? And why do bats rely on ultrasonic sounds for hunting, while elephants produce infrasound?
Ask the experts at Sydney Zoo, as they lead a program of special activities.
Plus, tap into First Nations Knowledge on the ‘Bungarribee Dreaming’ experience, led by Aboriginal guides.
Saturday 9 – Sunday 17 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/sydney-zoo-presents-national-science-week-decoding-the-wild/bungarribee/
Media enquiries: Natasha Budinski, Sydney Zoo Media Manager, natasha.budinski@sydneyzoo.com or 02 7202 2558.
Play with light – Sydney
Join a workshop to find out how holograms are used in everyday life.
Presented by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at Sydney Science Trail. Participants can:
- Use a laser pointer to visualise the light principles of reflection, refraction and diffraction.
- See hologram printing
- Take home diffraction glasses
The Centre’s researchers are working on real-time holographic displays, artificial vision for autonomous systems ‘to see the invisible’, and ultra-fast light-based WiFi.
Monday 11 August – Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/sydney-science-trail-school-excursions-2/sydney Media enquiries: Sophia Aharonovich, sophia.aharonovich@uts.edu.au or media@tmos.org.au or 0422 323 009.
What is Australia’s most underrated animal? – online
Do weird and wonderful Aussie creatures get the attention they deserve? For Science Week 2025, ABC Science wants Australians to cast their vote for Australia’s most underrated animal.
“Not the usual cuddly crowd-pleasers, but the ugly, the annoying and the lesser-known critters, who are often over-looked, under-conserved and… underrated,” says ABC Science producer Kylie Andrews, who leads the broadcaster’s Science Week project.
Australia’s underrated animals activities take place across social media platforms, ABC news digital and Radio National.
Friday 1 August – Friday 14 August: Updates and information on how to vote will be posted to www.abc.net.au/underrated-animals