Young quantum poets; space cadets; kids' conference Antarctica; classrooms in croc-filled billabongs; owl vomit
National Science Week
Great National Science Week education stories up for grabs now around Australia
- Enter the ‘Ittyverse’: Aussie kids’ poems on ‘small, tiny, nano things’ during Quantum Year – online
- Remote school students use baited underwater cameras to explore croc-filled billabongs – Ramingining, NT
- Australian Space Agency funds primary school ‘Mission: SPACE’ program – online
- Preschoolers dissect owl vomit – South West Rocks, NSW
- Quantum Year goes off-road – touring Australia’s cities and regions
- School field trips to renewable farms, food labs, and cellar doors – Riverina, NSW
- Schoolchildren meet biosecurity experts on the frontline – Katherine and Berrimah, NT
- TAFE course for kids to build and program weather stations – Palmerston City, NT
- Did dinosaurs do maths? – online via Australian Age of Dinosaurs, Winton, QLD
- Kids’ Conference Antarctica taps into climate change – online
- Multimedia project captures 65,000+ years of Indigenous Knowledge through voices of elders, scientists and environmentalists – online
- Carbon-fibre bones, gravity waves and selfies with atoms: Forrest Research Foundation opens its doors to the public – Crawley, WA
- ‘Mother of Sharks’, plastic pollution detectives, and a deep-sea engineer live from the Arctic Circle deliver ocean science lessons – online
- Icy ocean expert and the navy forecaster talk climate and careers – Sydney, NSW
- Play with light: hologram workshops – Sydney, NSW
- Deadly Science in a biomedical lab – Brisbane, QLD
- Black holes, bad bugs and tabby cats - young scientists on tour – multiple locations, TAS
- Space weather, stargazing and the world’s cleanest air – Ulverstone and Tasmania’s North West
- Blast bacteria with beanbags and join other Kids Research Institute Australia experiments – Kalgoorlie, WA
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
Quantum poetry: enter the ‘ITTYVERSE’ - Online
“We use the word QUANTUM when talking of atoms:
their tiniest particles, functions and actions.
Some quantum effects don’t appear to be logical.
Light can behave like a wave AND a particle!”
– from Quantum Foolery by Celia Berrell
Science Rhymes poet Celia Berrell has called on Aussie kids to submit poems about ‘small, tiny or nano things’ to celebrate the fusion of National Science Week and Quantum Year.
Consider a little critter, mini microbe, tiny item, or one or more little things that have significance – like an eye or pea, down to an atomic particle.
A winning anthology will be published on Science Rhymes website (Ittyverse blog) to celebrate Science Week’s 2025 school theme, Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language.
Thursday 1 May – Saturday 9 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/ittyverse/
Media enquiries: Celia Berrell, [email protected] or 0408 069 192.
Quantum Year goes off-road – touring Australia’s cities and regions
Meet dark matter hunters and quantum experts at events across Australia.
To celebrate Quantum Year, the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will tour pubs and schools in regional and remote communities in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales – and run events in capital cities between 4 August and 17 August.
Communities will also get the chance to trial the Dark Matter Hunter computer game, play with 3D quark puzzles, a muon detector, gravity well, diamond earring-based magnetic field sensor, and quantum computing chips.
Dark matter accounts for 84 per cent of all the matter in the Universe, but we don’t yet know what it is. Australia is a key player in the quest to find out. Quantum technologies are crucial in the hunt for dark matter and they’re already used in smart phones and cars, medical imaging, manufacturing, and navigation. But today’s technologies capture only a small fraction of the potential of quantum physics.
Media enquiries: Fleur Morrison, [email protected] or 0421 118 233.
Multiple experts involved with different legs of the tour are available for media interviews, including dark matter enlightener Jackie Bondell and particle physicist Ben McAllister.
Kids’ Conference Antarctica taps into hot topics – national, online
What can we learn when school kids steer research projects about the coldest, driest, highest and windiest place on Earth? What do they care about Antarctica’s changing climate and how will their findings have wider implications for people and planet?
Find out at Kids’ Conference Antarctica 2025, where primary and secondary students (aged 7 to 18) from Australia and the world step up to the presenter’s podium to share their own research. See full details and research brief here.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/kids-conference-antarctica-2025/
Media enquiries: Dr Stephen Spain, [email protected] or 0466 608 706.
Dr Stephen Spain is available for media interviews. He is principal founder of The Kids’ Conference and an academic teacher at Monash University. Find out more: https://kidsconference.online/
Schoolchildren explore croc-filled billabongs with baited underwater cameras – Ramingining, NT
For the first time, school children from the Northern Territory’s remote Ramingining community will observe interactions between aquatic life in freshwater billabongs.
The ‘Fin-tastic’ initiative, led by the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, turns the tide on lesser-known ecosystems within Indigenous communities due to presence of Baru (crocodiles), making them off-limits for swimming. Students will use baited remote underwater cameras to identify Guya (fish) and learn about species traits, movement and cultural significance.
Multiple sessions from Saturday 9 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/fin-tastic-science-solving-the-mysteries-of-the-underwater-world/winnellie/
Media enquiries: Darcy Roeger, [email protected] or 0474 012 062.
Darcy Roeger, from Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, and Justin Gaykamangu, from Ramingining School, are available for media interviews.
Calling primary school space cadets – online/national
Primary school kids with dreams of becoming astronauts can join a free ‘Mission: SPACE’ program funded by the Australian Space Agency.
The initiative, delivered by Perth-based Scitech Discovery Centre, invites Year 3-6 students to experience a series of four virtual excursions from classrooms across Australia. Each session explores how mathematics, technology and engineering are growing Australia’s space industry, with insights from real-world space professionals.
Monday 11 August – Thursday 14 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/mission-space-virtual-excursions-2025/
Media enquiries: Cara Tregonning, [email protected] or 08 9215 0781.
How do you capture 65,000+ years of Indigenous Knowledge? – online
The ‘Indigenous STEM Virtual Gallery’ highlights the intersection between Indigenous Knowledge systems and modern STEM innovations by capturing the voices of Indigenous elders, scientists and environmentalists who lead the way in conservation, technology and sustainable practices.
The multimedia project, led by Community News Hub Aboriginal Corporation (based in Gunnedah, NSW), includes educational toolkits for schools and community groups.
Saturday 16 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/indigenous-stem-virtual-gallery/
Media enquiries: Dean Foley, [email protected] or 0458 980 232.
Dean Foley, Community News Hub Aboriginal Corporation managing director, is available for media interviews on the significance of Indigenous Knowledge, innovation and the integration of traditional and Western scientific practices.
Did dinosaurs do maths? – online via Winton, QLD
How fast did dinosaurs run? And what can prehistoric calculations teach us?
Maths teacher turned Australian Age of Dinosaurs education manager Grant Salmond leads an online class as part of SciFest 2025, aka Australia’s biggest virtual excursion festival.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/did-dinosaurs-do-maths/
From 11 to 15 August, SciFest 2025 features 15 educators in lesson formats covering Science Storytime, Lunchtime Trivia, Live Science shows and a Careers in STEM panel. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/scifest-2024-2/
Other highlights include: Oceans at Night with Dr Vanessa Pirotta; Sid and the Very Hard to Find Squid with Dr James O’Hanlon; Be a marine biologist for a day with Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
Media enquiries: Australian Age of Dinosaurs: Grant Salmond, [email protected] or (07) 4657 0078. SciFest 2025: Karen Player, [email protected] or 0407 976 892.
Preschoolers dissect owl vomit – South West Rocks, NSW
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.
‘Mother of Sharks’, plastic pollution detectives, and a deep-sea engineer live from the Arctic Circle – online via Sydney, NSW and the Artic Ocean
Primary school students are set to learn science lessons from ocean mentors through a series of online events organised by the Australian National Maritime Museum.
Free online events for primary students:
- Be a Shark Scientist for a Day – virtual excursion with marine scientist, shark expert and children’s book author Melissa Cristina Márquez, aka the ‘Mother of Sharks’. Monday 11 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/be-a-shark-scientist-for-a-day-with-melissa-cristina-marquez-online-schools-event-2/
- Meet Deep Sea Engineer Tim Macdonald who travelled to the deepest part of the ocean in a submarine he helped build! He chats live from a research trip in the Arctic Circle. Tuesday 12 August:www.scienceweek.net.au/event/meet-deep-sea-engineer-tim-macdonald/
- Pollution Detectives from Seabin Foundation reveal some of the surprising rubbish (plastic pollution) choking our waterways and enlist the help of students to trace its source and brainstorm ways to combat the problem. Wednesday 13 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/be-a-shark-scientist-for-a-day-with-melissa-cristina-marquez-online-schools-event/
- Deep Sea Habitats and Adaptations – discover bizarre deep-sea creatures and how they survive at the bottom of the ocean. Learn about the ocean’s five zones (based on depth and light penetration) and technologies used to explore them. Thursday 14 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/pollution-detectives-online-schools-event/
- Our Ocean, Our Future – why the ocean matters and ways to protect it in everyday life. Friday 15 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/deep-sea-habitats-and-adaptations-online-schools-event/
Media enquiries: Alex Gonzalex, [email protected] / [email protected] or 0401 545 778.
An icy ocean expert and the navy’s weather forecaster talk climate and careers – Sydney, NSW
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 Navy Meteorology 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, [email protected] / [email protected] or 0401 545 778.
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, [email protected] or 0499 572 51.
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, [email protected] or 0447 131 167.
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.
Kids build and code 3D-printed weather stations – Palmerston City, NT
Weather obsessed kids (aged 8 to 15) will build and program their own weather stations in a two-hour TAFE course.
The project led by Charles Darwin University TAFE combines meteorology, environmental science and the Internet of Things. Participants will work with 3D-printed material and sensor modules, then learn how to write computer code that translates data into real-time forecasts based on humidity, temperature and air pressure.
Tuesday 12 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/cdu-tafe-presents-building-your-own-weather-station/palmerston-city/
Media enquiries: [email protected] or 0403 009 337.
First Nations students do Deadly Science in biomedical lab – Brisbane, QLD
Schools can access a two-day program designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students that aims to break down barriers to higher education and spark interest in biomedical science.
‘Explore the Unknown’ – the brainchild of The University of Queensland and SPARQ-ed, a biomedical education initiative run by the Translational Research Institute (TRI) – takes place in TRI’s state-of-the-art biomedical research lab. Students will learn from scientists and university staff, joined by special guests from DeadlyScience.
Thursday 14 August – Friday 15 August. Event details: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/explore-the-unknown-biomedical-science-experience-for-first-nations-high-school-students/woolloongabba
Media enquiries: Lily White, [email protected] or (07) 3443 6920.
Carbon-fibre bones, gravity waves, and selfies with atoms – Crawley, WA
Visitors can witness the Universe being born or journey inside molecules at a virtual reality station; take photos with atoms or against the backdrop of distant galaxies (thanks to greenscreen technology); see how gravity waves work; and check out carbon-fibre bones, shark skeletons and more.
The Forrest Research Foundation drives research and innovation capacity in Western Australia by supporting over 60 PhD scholars, postdoctoral fellows and their families from around the world to conduct research at one of the state’s five universities.
Saturday 16 August: www.scienceweek.net.au/event/national-science-week-showcase-at-the-forrest-research-foundation/crawley/
Media enquiries: Connor Bottrell, [email protected] or 0434 088 162.
Creating black holes, hunting bad bugs, and tracking tabby cats: young scientists tour Tasmania – multiple locations, TAS
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.
Public and private events across multiple dates and locations from Saturday 9 August.
And at Festival of Bright Ideas (Friday 22 August – Saturday 23 August):
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.
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.
Media enquiries: Alan Nicholas, [email protected] or 0401 231 883 and Martin George, [email protected] or 03 6448 7102.
Play with light – Sydney, NSW
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] and [email protected] or 0422 323 009.
Blast bacteria with beanbags at Kids STEM Festival Kalgoorlie – Kalgoorlie, WA
Kids can ‘kill’ bacteria with white blood cell beanbags, explore how sunscreen blocks UV rays and more at Kids STEM Festival Kalgoorlie.
This free, two-day event brings together local scientists and fun activities from Kids Research Institute Australia. It showcases accessible pathways to science and technology careers in the region and invites local schools to join a curriculum-based experiment and showcase results to the community.
Wednesday 13 August. Event details: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-stem-kalgoorlie/kalgoorlie/
Thursday 14 August. Event details: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/event/the-kids-stem-festival-kalgoorlie-workshops/kalgoorlie/
Media enquiries: Serena Bearsley, [email protected] or 0425 571 158.
Touring medical research scientists available for media interviews. Images and video from last year’s event in Broome also available.
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.
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Preschoolers dissect owl vomit in South West Rocks, NSW.
