What’s on across Australia during National Science Week 2025

Calling all scientists – this weekend marks the start of National Science Week, an opportunity to explore what our nation has been doing in the world of science and technology.

Each year, Aussies get together to discuss hot topics, do science and celebrate its cultural and economic impact on society – from art to astrophysics*, chemistry to climate change, and forensics* to future food.

First held in 1997, National Science Week has become one of Australia’s largest festivals. Last year about three million people participated in more than 2000 events and activities. This year, it runs from Saturday 9 August until Sunday 17 August and is supported by the Australian Government, CSIRO*, the Australian Science Teachers’ Association and the ABC.

With events happening all across the country, there’s sure to be something near you that sparks your curiosity. You can check out what’s on by visiting scienceweek.net.au.

In the meantime, here are some of our top picks.

NATIONAL/ONLINE
1. CSIRO Wild Watch

Australia’s science agency the CSIRO is recruiting a citizen science army to help find and photograph Australia’s unique living species.

There are 15 million species in CSIRO’s collections, but scientists need your help finding where and how widely these species are spread.

The agency wants schools, families and community groups to sign-up, head outdoors and snap photos of flora and fauna. They’re especially interested in sightings of shark and ray eggs, yellow/orange lichen*, snails, wattle, and Australian flowering heaths* (Epacris).

When: Saturday 9 August – Sunday 17 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/csiro-wild-watch/

2. Mission: SPACE Virtual Excursions 2025

Primary school kids with dreams of becoming astronauts can join the free “Mission: SPACE” program funded by the Australian Space Agency.

The initiative, delivered by Perth-based Scitech Discovery Centre, invites Years 3-6 students to experience a series of four virtual excursions from classrooms across Australia. Each session explores how mathematics, technology and engineering are growing Australia’s space industry, with insights from real-world space professionals.

“Mission: Space” excursion topics cover: Enigmatic* Earth and Space; Cryptic Chemistry; Puzzling Physics and Baffling Biology.

When: Monday 11 August – Thursday 14 August

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/mission-space-virtual-excursions-2025/

NORTHERN TERRITORY
Schoolchildren explore croc-filled billabongs with baited underwater cameras – Ramingining, NT

For the first time, schoolchildren from the Northern Territory’s remote Ramingining community will watch interactions between aquatic life in freshwater billabongs.

The “Fin-tastic” initiative, led by the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation, turns the tide on lesser-known ecosystems* within Indigenous communities due to the presence of Baru (crocodiles), making them off-limits for swimming.

Students will use baited remote underwater cameras to identify Guya (fish) and learn about species traits, movement and cultural significance.

When: Multiple sessions from Saturday 9 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/fin-tastic-science-solving-the-mysteries-of-the-underwater-world/winnellie/

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Carbon-fibre bones, gravity waves, and selfies with atoms – Crawley, WA

Perth’s Forrest Research Foundation has teamed up with Supersonic Science and opened its doors for an exciting day of science for all ages.

Visitors can witness the universe being born or journey inside molecules at a virtual reality station; take photos with atoms or against the backdrop of distant galaxies (thanks to green screen technology). Come along and see how gravity waves work, check out carbon-fibre* bones, shark skeletons and more.

When: Saturday 16 August

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/national-science-week-showcase-at-the-forrest-research-foundation/crawley/

NSW
Play with light – Sydney, NSW

Join a workshop to find out how holograms are used in everyday life. Presented by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) at Sydney Science Trail. Participants can use a laser pointer to visualise the light principles of reflection, refraction* and diffraction*.

You can also see hologram printing and take home diffraction glasses.

The Centre’s researchers are working on real-time holographic displays, artificial vision for autonomous systems “to see the invisible”, and ultra-fast light-based Wi-Fi.

When: Monday 11 August – Friday 15 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/sydney-science-trail-school-excursions-2/sydney

QUEENSLAND
1. Launch a rocket in Toowoomba, QLD

Toowoomba residents get the chance to launch rockets, code space rovers and discover astrobotany* at a free community day at the city’s Cobb + Co museum. The historic site, which forms part of Queensland Museum, plays host to a World Science Festival Queensland regional event timed during National Science Week.

The Robots and Rocketry program covers robotics, aerospace* and engineering across three zones – Lift Off, Roving Worlds, and Surviving Space.

When: Saturday 16 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/world-science-festival-queensland-toowoomba-community-day/toowoomba/

2. First Nations students do Deadly Science in biomedical lab – Brisbane, QLD

Schools can access a two-day program designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students that aims to break down barriers to higher education and spark interest in biomedical science*.

“Explore the Unknown” – the brainchild of The University of Queensland and SPARQ-ed, a biomedical education initiative run by the Translational Research Institute (TRI) – takes place in TRI’s state-of-the-art biomedical research lab. Students will learn from scientists and university staff, joined by special guests from DeadlyScience.

When: Thursday 14 August – Friday 15 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/explore-the-unknown-biomedical-science-experience-for-first-nations-high-school-students/woolloongabba

ACT
Frog saunas and spa treatments fight deadly fungus – Turner, ACT

Canberra scientists are employing surprising tactics to help frog populations fight the deadly chytrid fungus*.

Join a DIY frog sauna workshop and twilight wetlands walk with ACT FrogWatch program’s Anke Maria Hoefer and meet University of Canberra amphibian researchers using frog saunas, spa treatments and trace metals such as copper and zinc.

When: Thursday 14 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/science-in-and-out-of-the-pub-frogs-fungus-and-funky-metals/turner/

TASMANIA
Tracking cats, robot cars, drones, fossils, and more at Festival of Bright Ideas – Hobart, TAS

The Festival of Bright Ideas has plenty of events to inspire budding young scientists this Science Week. Become a Nature Tracker for Tasmanian threatened species and learn about observational surveys and acoustic monitoring*.

You could also meet young Tassie scientists exploring topics from plants to planets, DNA and deep-sea creatures – or you could go fossil finding or see drones.

While you are there, tap into 50,000 years of the Palawa* traditional knowledge.

If tech is your thing, how about having a go at ‘driving’ a Sphero Indi, the cool little robotic car that reacts to colours – or playing with mini solar-powered cars and boats.

These are just some of the speakers, activities and displays at the Festival of Bright Ideas, Tasmania’s largest public STEM event, at Princes Wharf 1 on Hobart’s waterfront.

Schools Day: Friday 22 August.

Visit: festivalofbrightideas.com.au/schools/

Family Day: Saturday 23 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/festival-of-bright-ideas-5/hobart/

VICTORIA
Join the real-world cast of CSI: eDNA – solving eco-crimes with environmental DNA – Melbourne, VIC

Think David Attenborough meets CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Don your lab coat, safety goggles and gloves and help a team of scientists solve eco-crimes by collecting and analysing environmental DNA (eDNA).

Step into a mock crime scene full of physical evidence, environmental samples and contextual* clues that need to be solved. The eco-crime could be from water pollution, endangered species trafficking*, biodiversity loss*, climate change or deforestation*.

Learn how to collect environmental samples from water, soil and air, avoiding crime scene contamination with scientists including “eDNA Detective” Mariea Pacheco (applied field ecologist*), and “FungiGirl” Ema Corro (mycologist*). Then, conduct eDNA extraction* and analysis using the world’s first portable DNA laboratory, the Bento Lab, before crunching genetic data and using DNA barcoding*.

When: Friday 15 August – Sunday 17 August.

Visit: scienceweek.net.au/event/csi-edna-solving-eco-crimes-with-environmental-dna/brunswick/

POLL

GLOSSARY

• astrophysics: the field of astronomy interested in the physical nature of stars and other bodies in space and the way that the laws and theories of physics work in the universe
• forensics: scientific tests used to help solve crimes
• CSIRO: an Australian government agency responsible for scientific research
• lichen: a plant-like organism made up of a fungus and algae that benefit each other
• heaths: a type of native shrub
• enigmatic: difficult to understand
• ecosystems: the relationship between plants and animals in a landscape
• carbon-fibre: thin and strong crystalline threads of carbon used to create orthopaedic implants in the place of bones
• refraction: the bending of light or sound as it passes through something like a wall or window
• diffraction: where waves bend around things or spread out while passing through a narrow opening
• astrobotany: the study of plants in space
• aerospace: the science of flight within and beyond the Earth’s atmosphere
• biomedical science: scientific knowledge of healthcare
• chytrid fungus: an infectious disease that affects amphibians, possibly killing them by damaging their skin
• acoustic monitoring: using sound to study the environment
• Palawa: the First Nations people of Tasmania
• contextual: the situation surrounding something
• trafficking: illegally taking and selling wildlife
• biodiversity loss: a decrease in the diversity of the genetic, species and ecosystem level in a particular area
• deforestation: the cutting down of trees and natural habitat
• field ecologist: a scientist who studies living creatures in their natural habitat
• mycologist: a scientist that studies fungi, such as mushrooms
• eDNA extraction: collecting environmental DNA from environmental samples like water, sediment and soil to see what organisms live in the ecosystem
• DNA barcoding: matching up DNA sequences to identify species

EXTRA READING
Bee blasts NAPLAN woes away
First ever Aussie rocket launches
Tech unwraps mummified mystery

QUICK QUIZ
1. Why is the CSIRO asking people to take photos of native wildlife?
2. How will school kids be able to explore croc-filled billabongs in Ramingining in the NT?
3. What are two things you can explore during the Festival of Bright Ideas in Hobart?
4. What deadly fungus can you learn to fight by building frog saunas?
5. Where in Australia can residents launch a rocket as part of Science Week festivities?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Get excited!
Write a detailed plan for an activity to celebrate Science Week at your school or in your community. The only rule is that your activity is targeting people who have no interest at all in science. Your purpose is to get them excited about and interested in science!

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
Choose one of the activities in the story. Your job is to write and design an information sheet for kids taking part in that activity. Your sheet should be interesting, fact-filled and easy to understand. Use information in the story and your research skills.

Time: allow at least 60 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Vocabulary recycle
There is some vivid vocabulary being used in the article, and I am not just talking about the glossary words. Go through the article and highlight the high-level language that you are impressed by in yellow.

See if you can borrow two of these wow words to reuse in your own way.

Remember vocabulary is a great way to connect with the audience, but you need to think about who your audience is so you make great word choices.

Who will the audience be in your recycled sentences?