Inspiring Victoria

Watercolour Solar System Workshop
2018-08-18 10:00 - 13:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | The Windsor Workshop, Level 1, 115 Chapel Street, Windsor, VIC, 3181, Australia
LISTEN UP – The Windsor Workshop is entering previously unexplored territory!
Buckle yourself in, as you are about to witness one of the greatest workshops in history – when art and science collide… are you ready for the ride?
Introducing a “Watercolour Solar System”. A watercolour / painting workshop like no other. A science lesson with a twist.
On Saturday 18 August, as part of Australia’s National Science Week, you will have an out-of-this-universe opportunity to create a watercolour solar system poster (complete with custom made wooden hanging rails).
Join us and Artists, Sarah Hankinson and Kate Rijs as they explore a series of techniques designed specifically to replicate the planets in our solar system. Alongside this creative duo, will be Dr Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway, lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy (Monash University), and creator of the popular massive open online course “How to Survive on Mars”, as she guides you through a science lesson comparable to nothing on this good earth. The result – a supernova of the creative kind….

Why You're Not Dead Yet
2018-08-17 19:00 - 2018-08-18 20:00 | Loop Project Space & Bar, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Neuroscientist Dave Farmer gives a comedic, educational talk about the arse end of the brain (aka the brainstem) filtered through Jackson Voorhaar’s non-educational comedy mind to help disseminate the information to the layidiot. Thanks for not laughing at disseminate.
Why You’re Not Dead Yet is an infotainment/storytelling/comedy mash performed by David Farmer, a Scottish (but also Australian) neuroscientist and Jackson Voorhaar, an eight-time Melbourne International Comedy Festival & two-time Edinburgh Fringe comedy veteran.
Dave gives a comedic informational talk, aimed at the layperson, on the subconscious functions of the brain stem – Dave’s particular area of expertise – with detours into the origin of Frankenstein, the 18th century Italians that invented the battery by accident, and Dave’s insecurity in party settings.
The brainstem the area of the brain that regulates things like your heart rate, your blood pressure and your breathing. Scientists that study fancy things like consciousness would call this ‘housekeeping’ but Dave calls it ‘Why You’re Not Dead Yet’. All the while, this information is filtered through Jackson’s, non-scientific comedy mind to help disseminate the information to the layidiot. Thanks for not laughing at disseminate.

The Dynamic Brain
2018-08-17 19:00 - 20:00 | Clayton Library, 9-15 Cooke Street, Clayton, 3168
Find out why the brain is the most incredible organ in your body.
It is said that you are not the same person you were six months ago. Cells in your skin, your heart and your blood – all across your body – die and are replaced every day. Everywhere, that is, except your brain. Your brain is amazingly plastic – it continually learns, adapts and changes as you do. Yet all of this occurs using the same brain cells that you were born with. How is this possible? One process underlies our ability to learn, our memory, and recovery from disease and injury. Join us to find out how your brain is the most incredible organ in your body.
Dr Matt Sykes from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute will talk about his recent research on the Dynamic Brain at a free talk at the Library during National Science Week 2018.

SCI-FI[LM]: Ex Machina
2018-08-17 18:30 - 21:00 | Federation Hall, Theatre 205, 7-17 Grant Street #5, Southbank, VIC, 3006, Australia
Artificial intelligence isn’t a thing of the future anymore – self-taught A.I. is already smarter than humans at gaming, life-like interactive sex robots are in high demand, and Google Assistant can switch the lights in your home on and off at your request. Does A.I. make our lives more perfect?
Join us for a brief chat with PhD candidate and physiotherapist Jessica Williams followed by a screening of Ex Machina.
Ex Machina synopsis
Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson), a programmer at an internet-search giant, wins a competition to spend a week at the private mountain estate of the company’s brilliant and reclusive CEO, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac).
Upon his arrival, Caleb learns that Nathan has chosen him to be the human component in a Turing Test – charging him with evaluating the capabilities, and ultimately the consciousness, of Nathan’s latest experiment in artificial intelligence.
That experiment is Ava (Alicia Vikander), a breathtaking A.I. whose emotional intelligence proves more sophisticated — and more deceptive — than the two men could have imagined.

SCINEMA International Science Film Festival @ Edenhope Library
2018-08-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Edenhope Library (Wimmera Regional Library branch), 49 Elizabeth Street, Edenhope, VIC, 3318, Australia
SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. 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.

Scinema International Science Film Festival @ Springdale Neighbourhood Centre
2018-08-17 18:00 - 20:00 | Springdale Neighbourhood Centre, 17-21 High Street, Drysdale, VIC, 3222, Australia
SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. 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.
Come along to enjoy the film festival with pizza!

Science Festival - Maths Puzzle Night
2018-08-17 18:00 - 19:30 | Staff Tea Room, Peter Hall Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Do you think you’re bright? Do you enjoy puzzles? Are you looking for a challenge? For Science Festival at The University of Melbourne, STAMPS and MUMS, in collaboration with Jane Street, will host our our Brainteaser Competition.
In a team of up to four, solve a series of puzzles for a chance to win prizes. There will be pizza.

Scinema International Science Film Festival @ Discovery Science and Technology Centre Bendigo
2018-08-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Discovery Science & Technology Centre, 7 Railway Place, Bendigo, Victoria, 3550, Australia
SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. 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.
It’s National Science Week and we’re having a party! Put on your warmest pyjamas, come explore the Discovery Centre after dark and help us celebrate science in style.
We’ll have live science demonstrations, light and shadow hands-on activities and see some fantastic short science films for kids (with popcorn)!

Family STEAM evening
2018-08-17 17:00 - 19:30 | Knox Library, 425 Burwood Highway, Knox City, Wantirna South, Victoria, 3152, Australia
Join in anytime between 5:00 and 7:30pm for a night of Family STEAM fun (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths).
Program Ozobots, practice your coding skills, test out some science experiments, and try engineering challenges with your family!
REGISTER HERE

SCINEMA International Science Film Festival @ Clunes Library
2018-08-17 17:00 - 19:00 | Clunes Library, 36 Fraser Street, Clunes, VIC, 3370, Australia
SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. 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.
Check with the venue to confirm screening times.

The Science of Carbon Capture and Storage
2018-08-17 16:00 - 18:00 | Golden Beach Community Centre, 1 Surf Edge Drive, Golden Beach, VIC, 3851, Australia
Victoria’s CarbonNet Project is holding a ‘Science of Carbon Capture and Storage’ drop-in information session. Come along and learn more about the CarbonNet Project, and carbon capture and storage in Victoria and around the world, from some of Australia’s leading research organisations

Bubble Show at St. Albans Library
2018-08-17 16:00 - 17:00 | St. Albans Library, 71A Alfrieda Street, St. Albans, VIC, 3021, Australia
Come and see a professional bubble-oligist create smoke and fire bubbles whilst you learn the science behind the magic! You’ll even get to step inside a giant bubble.

SCINEMA International Science Film Festival @ East Gippsland Shire Library
2018-08-17 14:00 - 16:00 | East Gippsland Shire Library, 22 Service Street, Bairnsdale, VIC, 3875, Australia

Science Festival - Tiny Leaps Over Deep Chasms: How to be a Sustainability Leader
2018-08-17 14:00 - 15:00 | Forum Theatre, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Presented by Dr Adam Bumpus, Senior Lecturer in Environment and Innovation from the School of Geography.
We are at an unprecedented time in the history of humankind. We know that disruption is all around us and challenging the way that we live, the economies that we work in, and the environment that supports us.
We need to innovate and connect or die. But we don’t know how to do this within the timeframes needed and within the paradigms we have currently.
It’s clear that we need a new sustainable business way of doing, but despite the rhetoric largely this still is not happening. This is why we need to start taking some tiny leaps – for our own paths and own happiness. This talk is part of a series of talks on how we as people and businesses will thrive in the new economy. It places you as the CEO to create change around, and within, you.
This talk is for anyone who wants to understand how we can make our world more sustainable (even if you’re not in sustainability, you are part of sustainability), and the need to take tiny leaps many times a day. It gives the context of how to become this person, the tools and thinking you can use, and some examples of how I did this in different contexts. Its open and honest and gives you a pathway to do this.
See the full list of events for Science Festival.

The Science of Carbon Capture and Storage
2018-08-17 11:30 - 14:00 | Port of Sale, 70 Foster Street, Sale, VIC, 3850, Australia
Victoria’s CarbonNet Project is holding a ‘Science of Carbon Capture and Storage’ drop-in information session.
Come along and learn more about the CarbonNet Project, and carbon capture and storage in Victoria and around the world, from some of Australia’s leading research organisations.

Launch: Balloon to the Edge of Space
2018-08-17 11:00 - 13:00 | twistED, 2 Radcliffe Street, Echuca, VIC, 3564, Australia
Celebrate National Science Week with a trip to space!
This workshop will be a fun and interactive exploration of space, technology and how space impacts our modern life.
This will culminate in the launch of a high altitude balloon – fitted with a camera balloon that we will send to the edge of space. This involves a helium weather balloon with a payload that includes a GPS tracker (to follow the journey), a camera to capture the action, and a little space traveller toy. We expect the balloon to reach ~ 30km before bursting and descending with a parachute back to Earth.
For teachers or groups – please confirm via email to Julian O’Shea so we know who to expect and to arrange any logistics.
*Balloon launch subject to weather conditions and CASA approval.

Science Week Storytime: Heyfield Library
2018-08-17 10:30 - 11:15 | Heyfield Library, 38 MacFarlane Street, Heyfield, VIC, 3858, Australia
Wellington Shire Libraries will be conducting science themed Storytime sessions all week to celebrate National Science Week 2018. Stories, rhymes & crafts will all have a scientific spin this week.
45 minutes sessions will be held across all six branches.

Stratford Library Wednesday 15 August @ 9.30am
Sale Library Wednesday 15 & Thursday 16 August @ 10.30am
Maffra Library Thursday 16 August @ 11.00am
Yarram Library Thursday 16 August @ 11.00am
Rosedale Library Friday 17 August @ 10.30am
Heyfield Library Friday 17 August @ 10.30am

Sessions are free and open to all pre-school aged children.

Science Week Storytime: Rosedale Library
2018-08-17 10:30 - 11:15 | Rosedale Library, 70 Foster Street, Rosedale, VIC, 3850, Australia
Wellington Shire Libraries will be conducting science themed Storytime sessions all week to celebrate National Science Week. Stories, rhymes & crafts will all have a scientific spin this week.
45 minutes sessions will be held across all six branches.

Stratford Library Wednesday 15 August @ 9.30am
Sale Library Wednesday 15 & Thursday 16 August @ 10.30am
Maffra Library Thursday 16 August @ 11.00am
Yarram Library Thursday 16 August @ 11.00am
Rosedale Library Friday 17 August @ 10.30am
Heyfield Library Friday 17 August @ 10.30am

Sessions are free and open to all pre-school aged children.

SCINEMA International Science Film Festival @ Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House
2018-08-17 10:00 - 21:00 | Marrar Woorn Neighbourhood House, Apollo Bay Community Centre, 4 Whelan Street, Apollo Bay, VIC, 3233, Australia

Intersection of Science and Experimental Art
2018-08-16 20:00 - 21:30 | Waurn Ponds Library, 230 Pioneer Road, Grovedale, VIC, 3216, Australia
A showcase event investigating the intersections of Science and Experimental Arts Practice will be held at Geelong within the Waurn Ponds Library meeting space. The performance and workshop will be followed with a chance for the audience to meet with the performers and carry this momentum in the creation of an inspiring space for discussion. Performances will programmed within the scope of areas such as technology (both science and art platforms), acoustic ecology and neuroscience. Neurologist and comedian David Farmer will MC the event and add a comedic look at his world of neuroscience.
Musical performance/workshop
Vicki Hallett – Acoustic Ecology on the African Continent
Jem Savage – Arduino, Max/MSP and the Isomorphic Pitch Shifting Interface
David Farmer is a Scottish Neuroscientist based at the Florey Institute in Melbourne and is most knowledgeable about the brainstem. This is the area of the brain that regulates things like your heart rate and your blood pressure. It also generates the rhythm of your breathing. Scientists that study fancy things like consciousness would call this ‘housekeeping’ but David calls it ‘why you are not dead’.
David is a passionate public speaker and advocate for science. His recently debuted show ‘Why You’re Not Dead Yet’ enjoyed a sell-out run at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. He won the Victorian state heat (also clinching the people’s choice award) at the ‘FameLab’ competition after delivering a 3 minute talk on his research to a lay audience. He was named runner up at the Australian National Final. He has since made radio appearances on ABC 774 (Lindy Burns, Libby Gore) and ABC 720 (Gillian O’Shaughnessy), RRR’s Einstein-A-Go-Go, the Sci-Gasm podcast, Diffusion Science Radio and was once interviewed by comedian Colin Lane for his web-series of ‘Cup of Tea with Col’.

Three Years of Winter: The (Scientific) Story Behind Shelley's Frankenstein
2018-08-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Monash University, Room G09, 16 Rainforest Walk, Clayton, VIC, 3168, Australia
“It was a dark and stormy night…” …hold on a minute, let’s ditch this cliched horror story! It was actually a hot and tropical April in 1815, prior to the terror that would engulf the inhabitants of Sumbawa, Indonesia.
In this gothic tale that weaves art and science, Monash University’s Dr James Driscoll will focus on the geological and climatic catastrophe that created the conditions for the writing of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, three years later and half a world away.
We’ll also explore the science of catastrophic volcanic eruptions and comment on the present volcanic hazards of Victoria.

Our Mesozoic Menagerie: Australia's Dinosaurs
2018-08-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Ecolinc Science Centre, 17-23 Labilliere Street, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, 3340, Australia
Come and hear about Australia’s Cretaceous dinosaurs and the latest exciting findings.
Four major areas are currently providing new insights into Australia’s Cretaceous dinosaurs, who lived from 145 to 66 million years ago. These are the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia, the Strzelecki and Otway ranges in Victoria, Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, and the Eromanga Basin in Queensland.
Swinburne University palaeontologist Dr Stephen Poropat has been digging up Australian dinosaur fossils since 2004, and will share his latest exciting findings

Is your brain lying to you?
2018-08-16 19:00 - 20:00 | Glen Waverley Library 112 Kingsway, Glen Waverley
Our brains learn about the outside world through our senses. But our senses aren’t always to be trusted. Ever wondered why the wheels on cars sometimes appear to spin backwards? Or why the internet can’t seem to agree on what colour ‘The Dress’ is? If you’ve ever wondered why we are so susceptible to visual illusions, and what is actually happening in our brains when we view them, come along to this talk to find out for yourself.
Brian Oakley from Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute will talk about his recent research on the brain at a free talk at the Library during National Science Week 2018.

Young Scientists Research Prizes - 2018 Competition
2018-08-16 18:30 - 21:30 | Royal Society of Victoria, 8 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Vic, 3000, Australia
To foster and recognise excellence in Victoria’s early career scientists, the Royal Society of Victoria has established four prestigious, competitive prizes, open to Victorian students in their final year of doctoral candidature.
Eight finalists will compete across all areas of the Biomedical & Health Sciences, Biological Sciences (non-human), Earth Sciences and Physical Sciences, based on demonstration of the applicant’s excellence in scientific research, ability to communicate scientific information clearly and succinctly to an audience of scientists and members of the general public on their particular research field and to answer questions from the audience.
Of the eight finalists, only four will win the prize of $1250 for their respective categories. Each of the short-listed candidates will be required to give a 15 minute oral presentation (10 minutes presentation, 5 minutes discussion) before a general audience of scientists and members at the Society on 16 August, commencing from 6:30 pm.
Winners will be announced at a special function (following the competition) in the Royal Society of Victoria’s Burke & Wills Room.

Science Festival - Female Game Changers of STEM
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:30 | Basement Theatre, Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
Game Changers & Change Makers explores how women have shaped our world through science and engineering.
Join us to hear from CSIRO’s Dr Danielle Kennedy, the Defence Science Institute’s Dr Regina Crameri, and QinetiQ Australia Board Non-executive Director, AVM (Ret’d) Margaret Staib AM CSC as they take a look back at some of the most influential female scientists and engineers throughout history and provide insights into their personal career journeys in these fields.
You’ll then have the opportunity to ask questions and find out what these inspiring female leaders see as shaping the future for science and engineering careers during an interactive panel discussion moderated by Dr Georgina Such from the School of Chemistry and join them afterwards for networking drinks.
Supported by QinetiQ, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne.
See the full list of events for Science Festival.

Immersive Science II: Revealing the Invisible Universe
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Emerald Secondary School and Mount Burnett Observatory, 425 Belgrave Gembrook Road, Emerald, VIC, 3782, Australia
Take a tour of the invisible Universe. We will provide everyone with a SciVR headset to take them out of this world to the world of colliding black holes and microscopic wonders.
Join Professor Alan Duffy and Dr Rebecca Allen to discover how Australian scientists are leading the way in probing the Universe through ripples in the fabric of space-time and providing unique views of the microscopic world. Explore this Universe through the use of ground-breaking Virtual Reality technology and make new discoveries through Q&A with the speakers.
Prior to the Virtual Reality tour please download the free SciVR app for your smartphone.
This program has been made possible with the generous support of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), Swinburne University of Technology, State Library Victoria and ARC Centre of Excellence for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) and is supported by the Australian Government as part of National Science Week.
Please arrive at 6:30pm to get your VR headset set up for a 7pm start.

Immersive Science II: Revealing the invisible universe
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Mornington Peninsula Libraries, Vancouver Street, Mornington, VIC, 3931, Australia
Take a tour of the invisible Universe. We will provide everyone with a SciVR headset to take them out of this world to the world of colliding black holes and microscopic wonders.
Join Professor Alan Duffy and Dr Rebecca Allen to discover how Australian scientists are leading the way in probing the Universe through ripples in the fabric of space-time and providing unique views of the microscopic world. Explore this Universe through the use of ground-breaking Virtual Reality technology and make new discoveries through Q&A with the speakers.
Prior to the Virtual Reality tour please download the free SciVR app for your smartphone.
Please arrive from 1:30pm to get your headset ready for a 2pm start.
This program has been made possible with the generous support of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), Swinburne University of Technology, State Library Victoria and ARC Centre of Excellence for Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET) and is supported by the Australian Government as part of National Science Week.

Immersive Science II: Revealing the invisible universe
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Daylesford Library, Vincent Street, Daylesford, VIC, 3460, Australia

Immersive Science II: Revealing the invisible universe
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Yarra Plenty Regional Library, 57-61 Laurel Street, Whittlesea, VIC, 3757, Australia

Immersive Science II: Revealing the invisible universe
2018-08-16 18:30 - 20:00 | Maryborough Regional Library, 91 Nolan Street, Maryborough, VIC, 3465, Australia
