One evening in May 2017, Stephen Slater got an unusual email from the US National Archives. NASA had left a trove of untouched Apollo 11 specific film reels sitting in cold storage, the message read. And he could access them. Slater, an archival producer and self-confessed space nerd, was “stunned.” He was at his home…
Urban Rivers (USA) Can we game our way to a cleaner world? Take control of our garbage-eating robot either in person or online! Created by Chicago-based collective Urban Rivers, Trash Robot will be trawling Melbourne’s Yarra River collecting rubbish outside of the City’s existing litter traps. And Melbourne’s waterways really need the help – in 2017, they were filled with…
Join us for this term-based program and learn about Lego and Sphero Robotics, and also Arduino, and micro:bit electronics. Choose what you would like to explore, and then do so, at your own pace. This is a co-learning program for children where parents and carers are core support for their child. There will be expert…
“Rivers signify tribal boundaries, gatherings for corroboree, life, not only for humans but for all living creatures” – Maree Clarke. Mitch Mahoney & Maree Clarke (Australia) Created by Boon Wurrung artist Mitch Mahoney and Mutti Mutti/Yorta Yorta and Boon Wurrung/Wemba Wemba artist Maree Clarke, Eel Trap is a 10-metre installation made of biodegradable reeds and grasses on the Maribyrnong River. Inspired by traditional…
Arne Hendriks (Netherlands) & Mike Thompson (United Kingdom) Do we really understand fat? In November 2017, the 130-tonne ‘Monster of Whitechapel’ was ejected from the bowels of east London. This fatberg – a congealed mass of fat, wet wipes and nappies – stretched the length of nearly two AFL footy ovals, taking workmen armed with shovels and high-powered jets…
Would you wash your hands with soap made from sewage? Catherine Sarah Young (Philippines) Sewer Soaperie turns raw sewage and fat into luxury soaps. Extreme storms now frequently overwhelm drains, pipes and sewerage systems, causing flooding in major cities. Large lumps of coagulated grease, known as ‘fatbergs’, clog the system and create flooding. These greasy beasts are created…
Presented by Professor Arun Ram, with live music performed by Joshua Hooke This performance will take you back to the salons of Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn in Berlin, 1828, to a gathering of some of the greatest scientific and musical minds of the day. In the year 1828, Alexander von Humboldt set up a hut…
SCINEMA is a celebration of the power of the moving image to inspire the young, satisfy the curious, explain the baffling and ask the impossible. Register your venue to host your own free SCINEMA screening during National Science Week. SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in…
Science Gallery Melbourne throws down the gauntlet and sets an ambitious challenge: can we find a new plastic-eating bacteria in Australia? This project asks citizen scientists to culture bacteria in the search for a new species that could solve our plastic waste dilemma. The lid has been lifted on human wastefulness, but what next? Science…
Women in STEM: Future Careers, 21st Century Skills and Role Models Females are drastically underrepresented in STEM subjects and jobs across the planet – let’s change that! On the eve of National Science Week 2019, educate and inspire your Year 7–10 students by connecting with real-world STEM mentors and case studies. This conference is especially…
Janna Ahrndt (United States of America) Will you truthfully track your environmental goals? Like a Fitbit for your ethical performance, P@tch is a textile-based new media project inspired by punk and DIY culture. Each homemade P@tch uses self-reporting and environmental sensors to allow the user to track their personal and surrounding pollution. P@tch participants will set…
Sandra and Gaspard Bébié-Valérian (France) and Professor Peter Scales (Australia) Are you flushing a valuable wee-source? Urinotron is a large-scale installation that takes our organic waste (urine) and transforms it into power for your mobile phone, before recycling it back to pure water. Contribute your urine and then put your feet up as the salts in your liquid gold turn into sustainable pee power. Why are we flushing such a valuable resource? Urinotron combines scientific equipment,…
