Space weather; aurora-chasers; eavesdrop on animals; better sex; sweet science of chocolate; beer experiments

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 Tasmania:

• Science of better sex, death over drinks, and anything glows
• Space weather, stargazing and the world’s cleanest air
• Chocolate’s sweet science
• How Tassie’s wild weather affects land, lifestyles and livelihoods
• ‘CallTrackers’ wanted to record proof of life of nocturnal wildlife
• Black holes, bad bugs and tabby cats: young scientists on tour
• Aurora-chasers capture the rarely-seen ‘STEVE’ and other phenomena
• Is laughter the best medicine?
• Experimenting with beer
• Tracking cats, robot cars, drones, fossils, and other bright ideas
• 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.

State launch 10am today at Social Gallery in Salamanca with the opening of aurora photography exhibition

National Science Week kicks off in Tassie with the opening of applications for the Tasmanian STEM Excellence Awards and the exhibition ‘Southern Nights – The Science and Beauty of Aurora Australis’

Launch event with:

• Dr Tara Martin- the Director of the Antarctic, Science and Technology state department
• Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Tasmanian National Science Week Patron
• Dr Andrew Phipps, University of Tasmania biomedical scientist with aurora photography expertise.

Where: Social Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre, 65-77 Salamanca Place, Hobart TAS 7004

Media enquiries: Tiana Pirtle, [email protected] or 0456 826 322.

 

Science of better sex, death over drinks, and anything glows – Hobart

Beaker Street Festival is back. Pull up a seat where microscopes sit on bar tables, scientists take centre stage and boundary-pushing conversations – from death to pleasure – could change the world. 

Centred around Hobart’s Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) and nearby venues, the week-long festival features talks and workshops; interactive science/art installations; photography exhibitions; live music and performance; and Tassie food and drink.

Highlights include:

• Come Again? An Evening of Sex and Science: sultry scientists and pleasure experts provide insights into the science of better sex, complete with ‘a giant clitoris puppet and peer-reviewed innuendo’.
• No One’s Getting Out of Here Alive: a surprisingly uplifting evening with some of Australia's most buoyant death and dying experts, Tasmanian Aboriginal knowledge holders, and a few special guests.
• Human Love Quest: Your chemical romance! Live onstage dating show, straight outta Melbourne (and the ‘70s), makes its Hobart debut.
• Beyond the Stars: Seeing the Sky Through Aboriginal Eyes: astrophysicist and Wiradjuri woman Dr Kirsten Banks unpacks Western and Aboriginal constellations to reveal the profound knowledge embedded in the night sky.
• What’s Your P(DOOM): Comedian/actor/broadcaster Michael Hing investigates the probability of AI Doom.
• Slime Mould Forest Walk with slime mould expert Sarah Lloyd.
• Taste of Country - ningina palawa kipli piyura kitina-ta: an immersive bush tucker experience led by Palawa (Tasmanian Aboriginal) guide Kitana Mansell.
• Anything Glows: nocturnal walk through Hobart’s glowing wildlife using UV torches.
• Seismic Dance Party: real glacial data is converted into a full-body audio visual rave, complete with haptic suits that let both deaf and hearing audiences feel Antarctica’s tectonic pulse.

Multiple dates and locations.

Media enquiries: Matt Fraser, [email protected] or 0401 326 007.

Tassie’s a ‘Hive’ of science activity – Ulverstone and Tasmania’s North West 

How does space weather impact spacecraft, satellites or our view of the Southern Lights, aka Aurora Australis? What do scientists find when monitoring some of the world’s cleanest air at Cape Grim?

Find out during Hive Tasmania’s program of events – ‘National Science Week 2025 at Hive: Decoding the Universe from NW Tassie’ – including guided stargazing, rapid science sessions for schools, public talks, pub trivia nights, planetarium shows, and a dark skies citizen science project to measure light pollution.

Multiple dates and locations. 

Media enquiries: Alan Nicholas, [email protected] or 0401 231 883 and Martin George, [email protected] or 03 6448 7102.

 

Chocolate’s sweet science – Latrobe

What do reflection, light and physics have to do with chocolate? Why do some chocolate bars develop white spots? Is chocolate actually bad for dogs?

Chocolate lover and food scientist Chloë Nelson answers these questions and more in a series of talks at Tasmania’s Chocolate Winterfest.

Chloë started her professional career working as a research scientist and did further studies in engineering. She also trained as a chocolatier at the world-renowned Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School.

Sunday 10 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-science-of-sweet-creations-4/latrobe/

Media enquiries: Michelle Dutton, [email protected] or (03) 6426 444.

How Tassie’s wild weather affects land, lifestyles and livelihoods - Sandy Bay

Tassie’s wild weather includes everything from gale-force winds to storms and floods to heatwaves. And weather patterns are changing.

But what’s behind these wild swings? How rare is a so-called 1-in-100-year storm? And what happens when the patterns we’ve relied on start to shift?

Meet experts in meteorology, climate science and agriculture to explore what drives Tasmania’s most extreme weather events and what they mean for our land, livelihoods and future.

The experts:

• Dr Paul Fox-Hughes is a research meteorologist with the Bureau of Meteorology in Tasmania, specialising in high-impact weather events such as severe storms and heavy rainfall. 
• Dr Annette Stellema is a climate scientist and research engineer at CSIRO in Hobart. Her expertise includes analysing climate extremes and developing models to assess the frequency and impact of extreme weather events, contributing to a better understanding of climate risks.
• Dr Steve Curnin is an Associate Professor at the University of Tasmania where he is co-director of the Disaster Resilience Research Group. His research explores strategic decision making and foresight in the context of disasters. 
• Hosted by Corey Peterson, Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Tasmania. 

Tuesday 14 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/tassies-wild-weather-up-close/sandy-bay/

Media enquiries: Belinda Brock, [email protected] or 03 6226 2521.

Speakers are available for media interviews.

Tell us what you hear at night – online

Bookend Trust is recruiting citizen science ‘CallTrackers’ to record proof of life of noisy nocturnal wildlife, including ultrasonic chirps of nine bat species and booms of the rare and mysterious Australasian bittern.

Participants will use state-of-the-art sound recorders to capture wildlife calls, helping scientists and conservationists track changes in populations and habitats over time.

Online workshops will be held during Science Week providing information on how to book a survey spot, borrow and use recorders, upload recordings to the Acoustic Pipeline website, and make identifications. Trained ‘CallTrackers’ go into the field from September to March across Tasmania.

Monday 18 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/discover-calltrackers-online-2/

Media enquiries: Clare Hawkins, [email protected] or 0400 889 336

Available for interview: Dr Clare Hawkins, a threatened species zoologist who established the NatureTrackers program of citizen science projects coordinated by the Bookend Trust, and astrophysicist-turned-wildlife acoustician Dr Jim Lovell, who is 'CallTrackers' Citizen Science Coordinator.

Aurora-chasers capture the rarely-seen ‘STEVE’ and other phenomena – Hobart

Find out:

• what causes mesmerising aurora displays like arcs, rays, curtains and a rare phenomenon called STEVE
• why Tasmania is the best place in the world to see the Southern Lights (aka Aurora Australis).

See how space weather, solar activity and particles from the Sun create epic displays when they hit Earth’s atmosphere in the ‘Southern Nights’ exhibition at Salamanca Arts Centre. 

Timed during the 2025 solar maximum (11-year peak of Sun’s activity) the exhibition brings together award-winning photography, timelapse footage and a ‘live aurora dashboard’ providing real-time space weather data.

Saturday 9 August – Monday 18 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/southern-nights-the-science-beauty-of-aurora-australis/hobart/

Media enquiries: Luke Tscharke, [email protected] and [email protected] or 0422 171 453.

Exhibition organiser, Luke Tscharke, is a professional nightscape photographer and David Malin Astrophotography Award winner. He is available for interview and can talk about aurora photography, art-science intersection, and Tasmania's geographic advantages.

Creating black holes, hunting bad bugs, and tracking tabby cats: young scientists tour Tasmania – multiple locations

These are just some of the research topics of last year’s Young Tassie Scientists, a group of 40 early-career researchers who volunteer their time to share their passion for science with audiences across Tasmania.

New recruits are trained each year. What will they share next?

Students and the wider public will get the opportunity to meet these bright young scientists as they travel around Tasmania, talking at schools and public events, with a focus on reaching regional, rural and island communities state-wide.

They highlight local science and career opportunities through engaging presentations and activities.

Multiple dates and locations from Saturday 9 August.

And at Festival of Bright Ideas (Friday 22 August – Saturday 23 August):

https://www.scienceweek.net.au/event/young-tassie-scientists-at-the-festival-of-bright-ideas-2/hobart/

Media enquiries: Rhiannon Terry, [email protected] or 03 6226 2951.

The Young Tassie Scientists are available for media interviews.

Experimenting with beer – Hobart

1 recipe. 5 beers.

Four Tasmanian brewers serve up an identical recipe for beer, resulting in vastly different sensory traits.

ExBEERimental Science showcases how small variations in brewing techniques impact our experience of downing a cold one.

Hear about the science and taste the difference with beer-loving scientists Kelsey Picard and Matthew Fielding.

Audience members can join the live event in Hobart at Shambles Brewery.

Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/exbeerimental-science-3/north-hobart/

Media enquiries: Matthew Fielding, [email protected] or 0417 167 618.

Tracking cats, robot cars, drones, fossils, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas – Hobart

• Become a Nature Tracker for Tasmanian threatened species and learn about observational surveys and acoustic monitoring.
• Meet Young Tassie Scientists exploring topics from plants to planets, DNA and deep-sea creatures.
• Go fossil finding or see drones.
• Tap into 50,000 years of the Palawa traditional knowledge.
• ‘Drive’ a Sphero Indi, the cool robotic car that reacts to colours.
• Come face-to-face with Tassie wildlife, both land and marine creatures.
• Play with mini solar-powered cars and boats.
• Meet the feline friends and ferals from Ten Lives Cat Shelter and find out how to reduce the impact of cats on the environment.
• Try the ‘Upside Down Goggle Challenge’.
• Connect with makers and tinkerers from Hobart Hackerspace.

These are just some of the speakers, activities and displays at the Festival of Bright Ideas, Tasmania’s largest public STEM event, at Princes Wharf 1 on Hobart’s waterfront.

Saturday 23 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-bright-ideas-5/hobart/

Friday 22 August. Schools Day. Event details: www.festivalofbrightideas.com.au/schools/

Media enquiries: Belinda Brock, [email protected], 0438 616 747.

Is laughter the best medicine? - Sandy Bay

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 Daryl Peebles, writer, performer and ‘grandfather of Tasmanian comedy’
• 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
• 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/

Media enquiries: Belinda Brock, [email protected] or 03 6226 2521.

Speakers are available for media interviews.

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 shortlist (those found in Tasmania indicated with bold text):

Palm cockatoo

Dugong

Short-fin eel

Great desert skink

Ghost bat

Rakali (native water rat)

Marsupial mole

Turtle frogs

Giant cuttlefish

Velvet worm