Future pharma; altering consciousness; gut feelings; wearable tech; and who wants to live forever?
National Science Week
Great National Science Week health stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Psychedelics, flicker light therapy, hypnosis, meditation: meet the scientist working at the edge of consciousness – Sydney, NSW
- Future pharma: 3D printed pills, skin patches and nanomedicine – Brisbane, QLD
- Neuroscience and health experts on the quest to live forever – Adelaide, SA
- Deadly pollen: are you at risk of thunderstorm asthma? – Beechworth, VIC
- Is laughter the best medicine? Ask neuroscientists, therapists and the ‘grandfather of Tasmanian comedy’ – Hobart, TAS
- Can nature help with concentration, ADHD and autism? – Melbourne, VIC
- Newcastle’s giant inflatable Poo Palace recreates the journey of food, from lips to loo – NSW
- Step inside a giant, woolly knitted gut – Gymea, NSW
- Can you save the world from a parasite pandemic? – Canberra, ACT and Kioloa, NSW
- Microscope image exhibition reveals the beauty of the gut-immune-brain axis – Melbourne, VIC
- Can wearable tech reduce rural/remote health gaps? – Melbourne, VIC
See details below and visit ScienceWeek.net.au/events to find stories in your area.
Scientists, experts, performers 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.
Media centre here. Images for media here.
Individual event details and media contacts
Pharmacies of the future – Woolloongabba, QLD
3D-printed pills. Nanomedicine. Personalised skin patches. Step inside The University of Queensland’s pharmacy lab and meet the experts making future medicines:
- Dr Taskeen Janjua Khan, specialist in brain drug delivery.
- Dr Anjana Jayasree, specialist in local drug delivery.
- Professor Amirali Popat, specialist in nano formulation of drugs.
Visitors can tour the tableting room, create and taste juice-flavoured ‘medicine bubbles’ (to understand microencapsulation techniques), and join talks.
Wednesday 13 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-your-hands/woolloongabba/
Media enquiries: [email protected] or 0429 056 139.
Alter your consciousness – Marrickville, NSW
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, [email protected] or 0420 758 577.
Dr Vince Polito, who leads the Altered States Lab, is available for media interviews.
Do you want to live forever? – Adelaide, SA
But what will it take to keep your body going forever and would you really want to?
Hear what neuroscience and health experts have to say during the FOREVER exhibition at University of South Australia’s Museum of Discovery (MOD). Panellists include:
- University of South Australia’s Professor Grant Tomkinson, who focuses on the link between physical fitness and health.
- The University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino, who leads the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory.
Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/q-do-you-want-to-live-forever/adelaide/
Media enquiries: Melissa Keogh, [email protected] or 0403 659 154.
Deadly pollen: are you at risk of thunderstorm asthma? - Beechworth, VIC
Thunderstorm asthma, a condition triggered by high levels of pollen during a storm, can cause severe asthma attacks, even in people who have never had asthma. People who get hay fever might be at risk.
Allergy sufferer, scientist and Superstar of STEM Dr Kira Hughes is bringing asthma education to regional Victoria – a place where high grass pollen levels make it vitally important.
While thunderstorm asthma events are rare, around 40 per cent of all worldwide events happened in Australia and have resulted in hospitalisations and even deaths.
Kira will share the science of thunderstorm asthma, why Australia is a hotspot, and the innovative solutions in development in a free presentation at Beechworth Library.
Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/thunderstorm-asthma/beechworth/
Media enquiries: Martyn Pearce, [email protected] or 0432 606 828.
Kira Hughes is available for media interviews.
Is laughter the best medicine? - Sandy Bay, TAS
In times of growing social isolation and health challenges, could laughter offer unexpected health benefits? Ask neuroscientists, industry experts, researchers and a Tassie comedy legend how humour might support well-being and strengthen connections.
The experts:
- Associate Professor Alison Canty, neuroscientist, Wicking Dementia Research Education Centre, University of Tasmania
- Dr David Bakker, Clinical Psychologist, Archer Street Health and Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Tasmania
- Dannielle Jackson, project manager, drama therapist, counsellor, and performance artist, Terrapin Puppet Theatre
- Dr Daryl Peebles, writer, performer and ‘grandfather of Tasmanian comedy’
- Hosted by Dr Larissa Bartlett, mindfulness teacher and The Mind Games Research Fellow (Mental Health), Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania
Wednesday 20 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/is-laughter-the-best-medicine/sandy-bay/
Event organiser: Belinda Brock, [email protected] or 03 6226 2521.
Speakers are available for media interviews.
Can nature help us concentrate? - North Fitzroy, VIC
Melbourne researchers say looking to nature can improve your attention span.
University of Melbourne Psychology Professor Katherine Johnson discusses related findings about staying focussed.
Her research in the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience involves children and adults with developmental disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-science-of-attention-how-nature-can-help/north-fitzroy
Media enquiries: Katherine Johnson, [email protected] or 0406 780 657.
Professor Katherine Johnson is available for media interviews.
The giant inflatable Poo Palace – Newcastle, NSW
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, [email protected] or (02) 4042 0827 (calls forward to mobile).
Step inside a giant, woolly gut – Gymea, NSW
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, [email protected] 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.
Can you save the world from a parasite pandemic? – Canberra, ACT and Kioloa, NSW
Step inside ‘A Race for the Antidote’ escape room; visit a parasite zoo packed with live and preserved specimens; identify and avoid parasitic infections through virtual reality; meet real-world parasitologists; and explore the fictional world of Manga characters with parasitic mutations.
‘Parasite Pandemic: Unlocking Science Through Immersive Experience’ starts in Canberra before moving to NSW South Coast. The program combines interactive science games and activities aimed at sparking interest in the study of parasites. It also aims to provide participants with insights into how scientists tackle global health challenges more broadly.
Canberra: Saturday 9 August – Sunday 10 August
Kioloa: Thursday 14 August – Saturday 16 August
Media enquiries: Lisa Jones, [email protected] or [email protected] or 0405 620 747
Lisa Jones is Executive Officer of the Australian Society for Parasitology. Interviews can also be organised with ANU scientists involved in this Science Week activity. Photo opportunities with the Escape Room (laboratory), parasite images and “live leeches” in the Parasite Zoo. Video footage of leeches available.
Microscopic beauty of the gut-immune-brain axis – Melbourne, VIC
Some 90 per cent of chronic health conditions are influenced by how cells and neurons communicate across our gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems.
Researchers from Monash University’s Gastroenterology, Immunology and Neuroscience (GIN) program have captured the gut-immune-brain axis in stunning imagery, as documented in the curation of a free public exhibition ‘Big Microcosmos’.
Their research focuses on gastrointestinal, immune and nervous systems as one interconnected system, recognising that single organ/system investigation often falls short in addressing complexities of widespread health issues from allergies to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and neurological conditions (autism spectrum disorders, chronic pain, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease).
Friday 8 August – Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/big-microcosmos/melbourne/
Media enquiries: Monash University media team, [email protected] or 03 9903 4840
Researchers available for media interviews:
- Immunologist Prof Benjamin Marsland, neuroscientist Prof Richelle Mychasiuk and gastroenterologist/dietitian Dr Emma Halmos – GIN co-heads
- Dr Juliana Silva – GIN program manager
- PhD students and researchers whose microscopy images feature in the exhibition are also available on request.
Pictured: Mucus: the first gatekeeper of the gut, captured by Aidil Zaini.
Can wearable tech reduce rural/remote health gaps? – Bundoora, VIC
Find out in workshops, talks and demonstrations. The program showcases how innovative technologies can reduce health disparities and improve access to preventative care. It includes stories from people in places like regional Australia, Nepal, India, and Africa, showing how technology is helping their communities stay healthy.
The project will foster healthier lifestyle practices by equipping participants with the knowledge and resources to utilise health technologies effectively.
Smart Health Global Australia is a not-for-profit organisation based in Melbourne and Nepal with an aim to act as a catalytic driver to promote easy access to quality health in hard-to-reach areas.
Thursday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/empowering-health-through-science-and-technology/bundoora/
Media enquiries: Manoj Khadka, [email protected] or 0426 086 532.
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 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.