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Fire weather; striptease meets 'dirty' science; whale rescue; owl vomit; DNA made into music

National Science Week: Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 August 2025

The national festival that reaches more than 3 million people through over 2,000 events is back from 9 to 17 August.

Dozens of Science Week stories around New South Wales

• Deaf kids camp at nuclear reactor
• Giant puppet insects take centre stage – Penrith
• Why bushfire season is now year-round, with the Canadian author of Fire Weather and a UNSW Canberra expert
• Dr Karl, dinosaurs and megafauna, and a T.rex autopsy at the Australian Museum
• Come face-to-face with a dinosaur (and others) at Lizard Log
• VR portal to Torres Strait Islander culture, Aboriginal astronomy, cultural use of seaweeds: meet Elders and young emerging leaders at the Indigenous Science Experience at Redfern
• Striptease meets ‘dirty’ science for a geological burlesque show
• What does DNA sound like? 80s pop drummer (ex The Hummingbirds) turned molecular biologist Dr Mark Temple reveals all at the Opera House
• Preschoolers dissect owl vomit
• The art of endangered birds

• Rescue a model whale, knot-tying and chemistry of distress flares: saving lives at sea
• Zoo poo, singing frogs and elephants using infrasound
• Play with light: hologram workshop

• Vote for Australia’s most underrated animals

More on these highlights below.

Scientists, experts 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; or Shelley Thomas, [email protected] or 0416 377 444.

Visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find more stories in your area.

Media centre here. Images for media here.

NSW launch event with Minister: 8am on Monday 11 August in Wollongong

Where: Science Space, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Innovation Way, North Wollongong

Media enquiries: Meredith Hall, [email protected] or 0421 614 145

Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/nsw-launch-national-science-week/north-wollongong/

Deaf kids camp at nuclear reactor – Lucas Heights, Sydney

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 – Saturday 9 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/deaf-youth-science-camp/lucas-heights/

Media enquiries: Dr Bridget Murphy, [email protected] 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.

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, [email protected] or 0415 348 528

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, [email protected] or 0404 902 729 and Ione Davis, [email protected]  

Dr Karl, dinosaurs and megafauna, and a T.rex autopsy on the Sydney Science Trail at the Australian Museum – Sydney, NSW

Hear the curliest science questions answered by Dr Karl, see science demonstrations, and learn about First Nations science knowledge. Chat to scientists and discover the latest innovations in their research, watch a T.rex Autopsy show, learn about megafauna, and meet Winny the Muttaburrasaurus, our roving puppet dinosaur.

This day of family-friendly science is presented by the Australian Museum and hosted by the Surfing Scientist, Ruben Meerman.

Great visuals and photo opportunities.

Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/sydney-science-trail-community-day-at-the-australian-museum-2/sydney/

Media enquiries: [email protected]

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, [email protected], 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.

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.

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.

Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/rock-hard-the-geological-cabaret/dubbo

Media enquiries: Dr Karina Judd, [email protected] or 0448 318 748.

Meet a dinosaur (and others) at Lizard Log – Abbotsbury

Say hello to Ginger the life-sized Australovenator dinosaur, catch bugs, discover Indigenous seaweed harvesting and taste bush cordial.

‘Science in the Scrub’ returns to Lizard Log in Western Sydney Parklands. This year it features an Aboriginal science village, explosive experiments, space science, pop-up Museum of Fire, and a line-up of physicists, biologists and zoologists.

Sunday 10 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-the-scrub-2025/abbotsbury/  

Media enquiries: [email protected]

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. Live visuals of DNA sequences will be projected in sync with the music.

Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/synthetic-compositions-music-made-from-artificial-dna-sequences/sydney

Media enquiries: Dr Mark Temple, [email protected] 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

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, [email protected] or 0475 838 439.

The art of endangered birds and 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 knowledge holder Doug Sutherland.

The initiative is organised 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, [email protected] or 0413 910 697

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, [email protected] or 0408 434 765.

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, [email protected] 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, [email protected] or [email protected] 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 that are often over-looked, under-conserved and underrated.

“We are trying to do the impossible here and rate what may be unrateable, vote on what may be un-findable, but most of all, find out as much as we can about animals which live their entire lives outside the spotlight of popular consciousness,” says Dr Ann Jones from ABC Radio National podcast What the Duck?!

The search for Australia’s most underrated animal will be decided on Friday 15 August. Images here.

Friday 1 August – Friday 15 August: To find out more and vote, go to www.abc.net.au/underrated.

For interviews with Dr Ann Jones, contact Amy Reiha, ABC Publicity, [email protected] or 0404 026 039

For interviews with other animal experts and science communicators, contact:
Tanya Ha, [email protected] or 0404 083 863
Shelley Thomas, [email protected] or 0416 377 444

About National Science Week

National Science Week is Australia’s annual opportunity to meet scientists, discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society – from art to astrophysics, chemistry to climate change, and forensics to future food.

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 2,000 registered events and activities. 

The festival is proudly supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO, the Australian Science Teachers Association, and the ABC.

In 2025 it runs from Saturday 9 to Sunday 17 August. Event details can be found at www.scienceweek.net.au.