We’re Taking Science Week Online – Get Ready!

Greetings! I’m Rena Singh, the new Manager of the Inspiring Victoria program, the year-round science engagement initiative that includes National Science Week. I thought you’d like to hear the exciting news about Science Week this year, which is:

It’s Happening!

We’re delighted to announce that National Science Week will be going ahead as an online festival this year. It’s fantastic news from our federal colleagues, and we’re excited to invite you to join us online in celebrating scientific achievements and the excitement of new ideas and discovery from the 15th to the 23rd of August!

Keeping it Real, Doing it Different

Following consultation with our partnership network, we have decided not to offer Victorian Seed Grants for Science Week this year. Due to the sustained uncertainty of 2020 conditions, the Inspiring Victoria team will be working closely with our partners to deliver online content while supporting and facilitating good ideas and helping to build local capacity for the ongoing delivery of STEM engagement activities to Victorian communities in our cities and regions. Details on some of these planned activities are provided below, but first let’s discuss:

How you can be involved in National Science Week

Want to participate in Science Week but unsure what to do? There are many ways you can still be involved in Science Week this year. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Run your own online Science Week event, or post science activities for others to conduct online.
• Participate in Science Week online events and activities.
• Take to social media to help us get the word out about Science Week celebrations.

Online Activity Ideas

Don’t be afraid to run a live event online. It takes a little patience, practice and preparation, but many panel events and live science shows translate well to live streaming via social platforms like Facebook or YouTube, and some videoconferencing applications like Zoom have the capacity to livestream to these platforms also. We all have our struggles with technology, and participants are both helpful and forgiving on our collective learning curve, so give yourself permission to explore the possibilities. You can even invite guest speakers who are located in different states and countries without having to find funds to cover travel and accommodation, so there are real opportunities here.

Also, you can help others out by hosting resources online for our sci-curious community. Have you already produced some killer science activities and resources that are or could be posted online for communities to use and enjoy during Science Week? If so, the team at Inspiring Victoria would be delighted to help you promote them.

Please – don’t forget to register your activities!

For those already well on the way, please make sure you register your online events and activities. Registration ensures that your efforts are officially counted as a part of National Science Week, and we can support you with publicity or anything else you might need assistance with relating to your activity.

The more registrations we receive, the more this helps us keep National Science Week running for the enjoyment of Victorian communities for many years to come. Those running private activities (not open to public audiences) are still encouraged to register their events – you can check a box that says “private event” when you register.

To register your activity, please head over to https://www.scienceweek.net.au/login/ .

Participate in a Science Week Activity

You can log into an online event, or browse the Inspiring Victoria website for activities to satisfy your science cravings. We have been working with our partners to produce new and exciting content and programs both for Science Week and the remainder of 2020. Resources and event details will be posted on the Inspiring Victoria website and the Royal Society of Victoria’s social media channels in July, leading up to Science Week.

There’s plenty more in the pipeline, but here’s what we have planned so far!

From food, technology, to health, science is constantly blurring the boundary between the possible and impossible. Join us for an online series of events, competitions, activities, interviews, and citizen science projects where we explore the frontiers of possibility, and ask what’s next for the human species.

This online festival will be hosted on the Inspiring Victoria website and broadcast through Facebook and Twitter feeds throughout August. Presented in collaboration with: Brick Lane Brewery, the Parliament of Victoria, Scienceworks, Science Gallery Melbourne, and scientists and experts from CSIRO, La Trobe University, Monash University, RMIT, Swinburne University, the University of Melbourne, and Victoria University. More details soon!

Inspiring Victoria

Inspiring Victoria has decided to close its Partnership Grants scheme until later this year. If you have a fantastic STEM engagement idea, please look out for our Grants program being offered again in October.

Meanwhile, we have developed some great initiatives to help communicate the great scientific work undertaken in Victoria and more will be announced on our website in coming months.

Changes to management

The Royal Society of Victoria appointed me (Rena) in March this year to manage both the Inspiring Victoria and National Science Week programs.

We are so grateful to Dr Renee Beale (left) for her amazing work in supporting Science Week in Victoria over 2018 and 2019, and delighted that she will remain involved this year as the talented curator and producer of the ‘Possible Impossibles’ series with our wonderful partners and presenters.

So while Renee is still very much in the mix, for all questions relating to Science Week and the broader Inspiring Victoria program, please contact me anytime via email. I’m looking forward to working with you.

Warm regards,

Rena
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Rena Singh
Manager, Inspiring Victoria
The Royal Society of Victoria