Science Festival - Keynote Event: Power the World Q&A
2018-08-14 18:30 - 21:00 (Australia/Melbourne) | Basement Theatre, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
How do we get to a zero carbon future while maintaining secure energy supplies? Are batteries the game-changer? What’s next for solar technology? How fast do we need to move on this?
As governments across the world struggle with the issue of energy security in a low carbon world, we have gathered an expert panel of researchers and specialists from the university and business sectors to discuss how we might power the world now and into the future, and answer your questions about the future of energy production and capacity.
Moderated by Maxine McKew, former journalist and politician, and current Honorary Enterprise Professor in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, the panel will consist of:

Prof Paul Mulvaney, School of Chemistry and Bio21, and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science
Ellen Sandell MLA, Greens State Member for Melbourne
Rachel Watson, Chair, Clean Energy Council and General Manager Australia, Pacific Hydro

See the full list of events for Science Festival.

Live Q&A with Professor Fiona Wood (AM)
2018-08-14 18:30 - 20:00 | Online, Australia
John Monash Science School is proud to present a Live Q+A with Professor Fiona Wood.
Facilitated through the Emerging Sciences Victoria (ESV) studio, this live and interactive online session will provide participants with an opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s leading figures in the field of medicine and biomedical innovation.
Intended for senior secondary (Years 10-12) and first-year university students, Professor Wood will discuss biomedical research and the future of medicine, drawing from her significant 20-year career at the forefront of medical science and innovation.
Join us for this free event, and take up the opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s true scientific pioneers.

Change Makers: Alternative Careers in STEM
2018-08-14 18:00 - 20:30 | RMIT City Campus, Room 6, Level 1, Building 94: 17-21 Cardigan Street, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
STEM professionals and skills are in hot demand. We know it’s a national area of need. But where can your STEM career take you and where could it make the most positive impact?
Come along to a panel discussion, following by Q&A opportunity and networking, to consider this important topic. Hosted by RMIT and Teach For Australia, for National Science Week 2018.
This panel is presented by Teach For Australia, an innovative non-profit in the education sector.

The Tomb Raider of Exoplanet Research
2018-08-14 18:00 - 20:30 | Mt Pleasant Primary School, 401 Cobden Street, Mount Pleasant, VIC, 3350, Australia
Join Astrophysicist Dr Jessie Christiansen as she takes us on a tour of some of the more fantastic exoplanet discoveries we have made, including some famous, fan-favourite fictional planets brought to life.
Timings:
6.15pm Lecture by Dr Jessie Christiansen – Mt Pleasant Primary School – Free
7.30pm Walk to Ballarat Observatory (5min) or Drive for viewing at the telescopes and supper. $5

Introduction to Raspberry Pi
2018-08-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Clayton Library, 9-15 Cooke Street, Clayton, 3168
Have you tried Raspberry Pi with your children yet? Join Shashwat at Clayton library and discover the fabulous world of Raspberry Pi. Children and their families will be immersed in the world of minicomputers, Python programming and hands on activities.

Melbourne: The Maths Capital of the World
2018-08-14 18:00 - 19:30 | Lecture Theatre S3, 16 Rainforest Walk, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
Melbourne is an amazing city for mathematically inspired architecture. Your guide Burkard Polster will demonstrate with a whirlwind tour of mathematical Melbourne: explore the rep-tiles of Federation Square, cast a 5-dimensional Penrose shadow at Storey Hall, experience life in a one-sided holiday house, and much more. Is it all really maths? Come see!
Associate Professor Burkard Polster is Monash University’s resident Mathemagician and Count von Count Impersonator. As the Mathologer he hosts one of the largest maths channels on YouTube and he is one half of the Melbourne’s Maths Masters the team that brought you the Maths Masters column in The Age and the MAV public lectures at the Melbourne Museum.

Carbon, Clean Energy, Climate and How Chemistry is the Solution
2018-08-14 17:30 - 19:00 | ESJ King Theatre, Grattan Street, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Join us and discover what a ‘carbon neutral’ world would be like and how are we going to achieve this.
The link and solution between carbon emissions, climate change and a future of clean energy is through chemistry; from removing our dependence on fossil fuels that powers our modern society, the physical chemistry behind carbon dioxide that is causing climate change, to the ability to develop cheap clean alternative energy sources.
This conversation will focus on how we produce and use energy, altering how the large industries that drive our economy operate, to the manufacture of common products that we take for granted in everyday lives. Dr Colin Scholes from The University of Melbourne; will explore how our energy sector, mineral and chemical processing industries, transportation and even how we grow food will be transformed as we adapt to clean energy, future fuels and ‘zero-footprint’ products as we use chemistry to remove carbon from the equation.
This event is supported by The Royal Society of Victoria and The University of Melbourne Therapeutic Technologies Hallmark.

Creator Class: Getting Chatty With Chatbots
2018-08-14 16:30 - 18:30 | Monash Tech School, 44 Drummond Street, Chadstone, VIC, 3148, Australia
Come join us during National Science Week in our Maker Space and let’s get Chatty with Chatbots.
Chatbots are robots that are designed to perform repetitive tasks, analyse data and integrate your applications and services. Chatbots are becoming increasingly common for technical support, customer service, training, and improving workflows.
If you’ve ever found yourself constantly answering the same questions, or you wish you had an assistant to help with your more tedious tasks – it’s time to make a chatbot.
This introductory workshop will provide you with the skills to create your own chatbots and will demonstrate how they can be utilised for automating tasks.
During this workshop you will:

Look at the difference between chatbots, AI and machine learning
Explore how chatbots are being used in industry and education
Meet and interact with the Monash Tech School Simulaid bot
Create your own chatbot

Note:

Facebook’s Messenger app and account are required
Bookings required. Invoices/School Purchase Orders cannot be taken, tickets must be purchased through Eventbrite.

Contact us if you have any issues booking.

You Can't Spell Exoplanets Without Ex(exutions)! Student Talk
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Loreto College Ballarat – Mary’s Mount Centre, 1600 Sturt Street, Ballarat, VIC, 3350, Australia
Local secondary aged students are invited to hear from Astrophysicist Dr Jessie Christiansen
Jessie has been called the “Tomb Raider of exoplanet research”. Working at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech, Jessie searches for, studies, and catalogues extrasolar planets – planets orbiting other stars. Her main research focuses on using the thousands of exoplanets found by the NASA Kepler mission to determine how common Earth-like planets might be in our galaxy. She is currently working on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) which will search the entire sky to discover even more planets beyond our solar system.
Jessie’s talk You Can’t Spell Exoplanets without Ex(exutions)! focuses on our quest to resolve one of the oldest questions – whether we are, in fact, alone in the universe – we have pushed our thoughts, our dreams, and our technology ever further to find life on other planets. This has resulted in an astonishing era of discovery… but, not without some misadventures! Jessie will present a tour through 400+ years of contemplating, looking for, and ultimately finding planets around other stars. We will examine some of the more incredibly unexpected planets that populate our Galaxy, and finally, we will look forward to some possible surprises the Universe has in store for us.
This event is designed for secondary school aged students, parents | guardians are welcome to attend with their student.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Richmond Library Tuesday Tech Club
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Richmond Library, 415 Church Street, Richmond, VIC, 3121, Australia
Have fun with creative technologies such as Lego Mindstorms, Little bits and Ozobots.
Ages 7+. Bookings essential.

Super Sleuth (DNA) with the Scientwists
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Oakleigh Library, 148 Drummond Street, Oakleigh, VIC, 3166, Australia
For those who like their forensic science, join us at Oakleigh library and use your fingerprints, chromatography, codes and DNA to help solve the most devious of strawberry theft crimes.

Lego Club
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Fitzroy Library, 128 Moor Street, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
Come build and play with Lego every Tuesday during school term. There are weekly themes and challenges to try out, then display your masterpieces in the library for all to see.

Bargoonga Nganjin Tuesday Tech Club
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy Library, 182/186 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North, VIC, 3068, Australia

Citizen Science Workshop: Mulgrave
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Mulgrave Library, 36-42 Mackie Road, Mulgrave, VIC, 3170, Australia
Be a part of our Citizen Science project. Frogs are indicators of the health of the environment. Many of Australia’s wetlands and waterways are under threat. With the use of technology, primary aged children are helping to document and preserve Australian species.
With your phone, iPad or any other device, you can help in the documenting and preserving Australian species. Join us at Mulgrave Library to discover Frog Census and NatreBlitz App.

Wind Machine: Float Me, Fly Me
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Lilydale Library, Building LA, Box Hill Institute of Technology, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, VIC, 6457, Australia
Come and learn about aerodynamics while we experiment with finding out what materials will float in our fan powered wind tunnel.
Build twirling paper helicopters and floating balloon animals, and see how far we can make them fly!

Crazy Chemistry Show
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Sydenham Library, 1 Station Street, Taylors Lakes, VIC, 3038, Australia
This interactive show explores crazy chemical reactions. Watch things expand, grow, fizz and bang.

Magnets: Push and Pull
2018-08-14 16:00 - 17:00 | Ferntree Gully Library, 1010 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully, VIC, 3156, Australia
Find out how magnets work while learning about polarity, and magnetic fields!
We’ll discover what is and isn’t magnetic, see if we can move objects just with magnetic force, and make some magnetic arts and crafts.

3:45 STEAM - National Science Week Brain Break
2018-08-14 15:30 - 17:00 | A.S. Kenyon Library, Jamieson Avenue, Red Cliffs, VIC, 3496, Australia
To celebrate National Science Week we are taking a break from our regular 3:45 STEAM program by hosting a fun and delicious afternoon of science play and discovery! There will be simple science experiments, quizzes and activities.

Scinema at Ballarat Observatory
2018-08-14 13:00 - 19:00 | Ballarat Municipal Observatory and Museum, 439 Cobden Street, Mount Pleasant, Victoria, 3350, Australia
SCINEMA Science Film Festival community screening – see the best science films from the past year. The SCINEMA International Science Film Festival is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere; celebrating the power of moving image to tell stories about the world, how it works and our place in it.

How to make a Sexy Science Video
2018-08-14 13:00 - 17:00 | Romsey Community Hub, 96 Main Street, Romsey, VIC, 3434, Australia
This special course will teach the essential skills and strategies needed to present a short but sweet science video. ​Among other things, the comprehensive course will cover fundamental principles and “rules of the video game”, thus equipping emerging presenters and producers with the confidence and media savvy required to project messages clearly and simply.
Hands-on training will be provided in voice and gesture presentation, as well as interview skills for budding broadcast journalists.
Participants completing the course will acquire valuable skills, including those needed to liaise with editors and prepare successful pitches.
Worked examples, reference materials and background notes will be provided.

Brain Break at Deer Park Library
2018-08-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Deer Park Library, 4 Neale Road, Deer Park, VIC, 3023, Australia
Come and test your scientific knowledge at this science themed afternoon tea.

Cluster STEM day
2018-08-14 10:00 - 14:30 | Wurruk Primary School, 15 Fisk Street, Wurruk, Victoria, 3850, Australia
Our event will be a cluster event for rural schools coming together to celebrate National Science Week and learn in a fun and cooperative environment.
This will be an exciting, hands-on day for students to explore and learn about science.
There will be a variety of hands-on activities for students to rotate through and include a guest presenter (expert) for the students to experience.
Intensive follow-up activities will occur back at school after the event.

Science Sensations with Professor Brains
2018-08-14 10:00 - 11:30 | Bannockburn Library, 25-27 High Street, Bannockburn, VIC, 3331, Australia
Get your child involved in this fantastic Science Week Event! Come and experience super science, with elements of experiments to enthuse and amaze!
Professor Brains will be visiting Bannockburn Library. Children will be entertained with a group presentation before having the chance to participate in a hands on workshop, where they can become a scientist, conducting experiments and learning about the wonderful world of science.

Brain Break - Parasite Paradise
2018-08-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Art Gallery of Ballarat, 40 Lydiard Street North, Ballarat Central, VIC, 3350, Australia
We’re hosting a Brain Break morning tea with scrumptious morsels of science goodness to celebrate science achievement and endeavour.
We’ll be getting together to share fun science quizzes, activities and demonstrations over our cuppa.
Delicious cakes and coffees available to order from Kittelty’s Café at the gallery.

Would You Survive on Mars?
2018-08-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Room G09, 9 Rainforest Walk, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
Mars is our favourite planet and the only other planet in the Solar system where humans might live one day. But stories that are often told about Mars, mostly by popular sci-fi movies, paint a hostile world. These stories focus on challenges of survival in a harsh environment (“The Martian”, “Red planet”), fear of invasion by Martians (“The War of the Worlds”, “Life”), origin of life and human species (“Mission to Mars”), an environmental and ethical impact of humanity on another planet (“Total recall”), and whether it’s ethical to even raise humans on Mars (“The Space between Us”).
This is an interactive talk that will challenge your knowledge about the ‘real’ Mars and test your skills of survival on another planet while discussing fun science from sci-fi movies.
After the talk, you will have a chance to observe Mars and other delights of the night sky, weather permitting.
Our free massive open online course “How to survive on Mars – the Science Behind the Human Exploration of Mars” opens 6 August – all welcome.

The Battle Against Superbugs: The problem of antibiotic resistance and new therapies on the horizon
2018-08-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Mount Waverley Library, 41 Miller Crescent, Mount Waverley, VIC, 3149, Australia
How does antibiotic resistance arise? “What turns a normal bug into a ‘superbug’?”
We will delve into the topic of ‘superbugs’ and what makes them not so super, the issue of antibiotic resistance, and what members of the public can do to help prevent its spread. We’ll also cover new treatments available or that may be on the horizon.
Callum Vidor from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute will talk about his recent research on ‘superbugs’ at a free talk at the Library during Science Week.

Lost in Science Trivia Fundraiser
2018-08-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Birmingham Hotel, 333 Smith Street, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065, Australia
Q: What time is it?
A: Time for the annual Lost in Science trivia night!
Test your knowledge at Melbourne’s best science quiz and help keep community radio on the air or in your pod.
This amazing, entertaining, intellectually stimulating night is a fundraiser for 3CR, so entry is $20 per person. You can bring cash on the night, or email us for online payment details.
Teams are a maximum of 6 people. Let us know on Facebook if you want to reserve a table, and we’ll make it so!
Come join us for a drink and dinner from 6:30PM and the trivia kicks off at 7:30PM.

Science Festival - The Science of Science Communication
2018-08-13 18:30 - 19:30 | Malaysian Theatre, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Presented by A/Prof Mark Quigley and Dr Jeremy Silver from the School of Earth Sciences.
Science has the potential to assist in resolving many of the largest challenges facing contemporary society. However, relevant science is not always used to inform public opinion and decision-making. Is this because scientists do not communicate effectively to those who might seek to use their data and knowledge? Or because the general public and leaders choose to prioritise other inputs?
In this talk we will discuss our new research on science communication, including objective measures of how effectively scientists communicate and how science utility might influence our opinions of our political leaders. The scope of this talk will range from science communication in the aftermath of natural disasters to quantitative analysis of how U.S. Presidents use science in their public messaging.
See the full list of events for Science Festival.

NASA's Planet Hunters
2018-08-13 18:00 - 22:00 | Scienceworks, 2 Booker Street, Spotswood, VIC, 3015, Australia
This National Science Week, join NASA scientist Dr Jessie Christensen to hear about the Kepler and Cassini missions. She’ll share stories of searching for planets beyond our solar system, and how these missions have changed our view of ourselves.
After 13 years orbiting Saturn, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft dived into the planet’s atmosphere last September. The Kepler Space Telescope, which has been discovering planets around other stars, will run out of fuel sometime this year.
This special event celebrates these two big missions and their extraordinary contribution to our expanding knowledge of our universe. We know now planets around other stars, even habitable ones, are far more common than previously thought, and some of the moons of Saturn may even host life.

Science Festival - is this your card?
2018-08-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Hercus Theatre, Physics South Building, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Pick a card, any card! The immortal phrase of the magician.
In this talk, we’ll look at some some great card tricks that have simple maths behind them. This show is for all ages, so bring a deck of cards, a pen and some paper and we’ll do mathematical magic.
This event is a collaboration with ARC Centre of Excellence for Mathematical and Statistical Frontiers (ACEMS).
See the full list of events for Science Festival.
