General info

15 – 23 August 2009

National Science Week is Australia’s largest national festival and is a great opportunity to showcase your organisation or celebrate science.

National Science Week 2009 is just around the corner and it’s shaping up to be an extraordinary week filled with exciting events for everyone. View the WA Calendar of Events Flyer 622.49 Kb

Browse the tabs to find out more about National Science Week 2009.

For any further information regarding National Science Week in WA, contact the WA Coordinator - Kelly Dawson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the Official Australian National Science Week website.

Key Messages

Professor Lyn Beazley with Glenn Hall (right) and the Spontaneous Insanity team at the 2008 launch of National Science Week

The key messages for National Science Week are:

• Science, technology and innovation play an integral part in ensuring the well-being of our society and the environmentally sustainable growth of our economy.
• WA researchers and science teachers make outstanding contributions to science and science education.
• Careers in science, mathematics and engineering are interesting and worthwhile.
• Science is enjoyable and valuable, and should be celebrated.

Seed Grants

Australian Association for Environmental Education
A Taste on Science: A Canning community fair about the science of bush food and medicine plants from both modern and Indigenous perspectives.

Australian Science Communicators (WA Branch)
Guess What’s Coming to Dinner? The science and current debate surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Badgingarra Primary School
Lost in Space – Where’s Will Robertson? A “star party” for anyone with an interest in astronomy.

Earth Science Western Australia (ESWA)
Gifts from the Earth: An ESWA tour guide will host tour evenings during National Science Week through the west end of Fremantle looking at how geology has influenced architecture.

Esperance Public Library
Awesome Egypt - Indiana Jones and the Quest for Knowledge: Library activities about Egypt including toddler time, story time and an Awesome Egypt evening.

Kalannie Community Resource and Telecentre
Science Week Experiments: Scitech’s DIY Science Kits will take over the Kalannie Community Resources and Telecentre providing the community with kits and an education program for the month of August.

School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Responses to Treatment: An exhibit for display in the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital art gallery featuring images of tissues that have been afflicted by disease and the same tissues after intervention with modern treatments.

The Aquarium of Western Australia
Sandcastle Science: Visitors will discover the amazing features of sand and the animals that live amongst it.

Theatre Eight – Geraldton
The Life of Galileo: A theatre production for the Geraldton community in preparation for the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) project.

WA Museum Albany
Video Theatrette: Ongoing screenings of space science, astronomy, aurora, science fiction, space travel and space mythology productions.

Brain Break

Celebrate National Science Week by holding a Brain Break morning tea.

Does your organisation employ scientists, science teachers or lecturers, or rely on scientific knowledge for its projects and products? Then celebrate National Science Week by holding a Brain Break morning tea for your staff. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate achievements, discuss current projects and acknowledge staff within your own organisation.

Brain Break has now finished for National Science Week 2009!

Schools

The 2009 Schools Theme is Astronomy: Science Without Limits.

Download Schools Events in WA 392.45 Kb

Kalgoorlie Rock Festival 2009 - Feel the Excitement

Rock Festival is a week long celebration of the science of mining in our society, with displays, competitions and activities. As part of the Rock Festival there is a schools competition. View more details on the competition 2.96 Mb

NSWK School grant

A total of $8000 is available through STAWA to all teachers in WA in the form of grants valued between $100 and $500 to complement school-based science activities for students in schools during National Science Week.

Applications for 2009 have now closed.

For further information please contact: Mark Merritt STAWA National Science Week Representative. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tel: 0405 414 273

Aunet Grants

Aunet and the WA National Science Week Coordinating Committee congratulate the following 2009 applicants who have each received a Dino Lite AM 211 handheld digital microscope for their 2009 National Science Week school project, event or activity.

Applecross Primary School
The Dino Lite AM211 will be used in a practical activity during afternoon science shows where students will guess the mystery objects and then view their skin, hair or nails close up and be amazed by what they see.

Carey Baptist College
Years 11 and 12 earth and environmental science students will catalogue their rock and mineral collection from field trips.

Dardanup Primary School
Year 6/7 students will take part in a crime scene investigation and will study and capture images of clues. Younger students will study invertebrates.

East Wanneroo Primary School
The Dino Lite AM211 will be used at a science activity station at their 'Science Tabloids' day. Students will see how the microscope works and also see everyday things up close up.

Halls Head Primary School
Students will watch earthworm growth and development from their worm farm, hatchings of insects from eggs collected from their bushland project and mini beast searches around their school.

Riverlands School
Guest experts will work with students to achieve enhanced understandings about native plants. Students will use their Dino Lite AM211 to examine parts of plants with never before experienced detail.

St Emilie's Catholic Primary School
A Sunflower Growing Competition. The Dino Lite AM211 will be used to show the intricate details of the sunflowers.

Strathalbyn Christian College
Students will bring in specimens to look at using the Dino Lite AM211 and will decorate the class with posters of the specimens at microscopic level.

Westminster Primary
Smart boards and the Dino Lite AM211 will be used to show students various magnified items during classroom science investigations.

The Dino-Lite AM211 is easy to operate with simple installation on PC or MAC, has a built-in white LED illumination and is ideal for a wide variety of practical applications in the classroom. It includes a mini-stand to hold the microscope steady over your work providing "hands free" operation as well as a copy of the "DinoCapture" software, enabling you to "capture" either a photograph, video or time-lapsed video with a simple click.

For more information on Aunet or the Dino-Lite go to www.aunet.com.au

Scooter

National Science Week WA Scooter Competition

Win a $5,000 scooter of your choice for National Science Week.

For your chance to win:

1. Grab your local Community Newspaper between Tuesday August 11 and Saturday August 22.
2. Listen to Drive with Russell Woolf on 720 ABC Perth between 3.00pm and 6.00pm from Monday August 17 to Friday August 21 for the code words.
3. Fill out the coupon and send it to Scitech by Wednesday August 26.

This competition is proudly supported by 720 ABC Perth, the Community Newspaper Group and the WA Coordinating Committee for National Science Week.

Event Holders

Going for Olympic Gold Event – 2008

Are you planning to host an event during National Science Week? Then check out the WA National Science Week Gig Guide 212.29 Kb which provides step-by-step assistance in organising your event.

Print off and place event feedback forms at your event to assist you in improving your event. 285.31 Kb

There are also great resources available on the event organisers page of the Official National Science Week website.

Science Café

Science Cafe for Girls
Friday August 21
10.00 am – 11.30am
The University of Western Australia, Molecular and Chemical Sciences (MCS) Building Atrium
Free event with a transport subsidy of up to $100!

WA Female Scientists from the state’s universities, CSIRO, Engineers Australia, Kings Park and Botanic Gardens and Perth Zoo will host a morning tea providing you and your students with a unique opportunity to speak one-on-one with them and receive practical knowledge about science career pathways.

Registrations for this event have now closed because the event is fully booked

Download media clearance form for this event 156.05 Kb

Registrations close Friday August 14.