National Science Week is over for another year! The UNE Discovery team loved sharing science with members of the community in various ways.  We held an art competition relating to adaptations of our Australian species, two science shows at the Armidale War Memorial Library and two nature walks on the weekends. It was an absolute pleasure for us as a team to be part of National Science Week and demonstrate our love of science to people who may not be in the field of science but have a genuine interest in how our world works.

The school theme for National Science Week in 2024 was Species Survival – More than just sustainability. The theme aimed to highlight the importance of science and innovation in ensuring the survival and thriving of different species in an ever-changing world.  UNE Discovery used this as our starting point and developed our activities with this in mind. We didn’t stick to the theme in all instances as we wanted to ensure we reached a broad section of the community.

Our weekend “Walks of Discovery” were wonderful experiences for those who attended. We’d like to thank Dr Steven Debus and Dr Boyd Wright from UNE and also Dr Peter Berney from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) as well as our UNE Discovery science educators who were our group leaders for these events. There was much to see at Dangars Falls (to McDirty’s Lookout) and the Threlfall Walking Track at Gara Gorge/Blue Hole. Well spotted and discussed were a number of birds, plants, insects and fungi. Nature was in all its Winter glory over two beautiful days in which we shared nature with our attendees.

Our Magic of Science shows at the Armidale Library (thank you to the library staff and Armidale Regional Council) were well received and we loved including our young audiences in our demonstrations and experiments. The first session was for primary students and the second for adults and secondary students. Dr Sue Jaggar presented a show on the magic of Physics. Our elephant’s toothpaste demonstration by Brandon was an exciting one with a huge, colourful foaming reaction, showing a glimpse into the magic of Chemistry. There was lots to see and do!  Thank you to everyone who joined us at the library for one of our late afternoon science shows.

Please check the National Science Week website for additional resources prepared for this year’s celebration of science and technology. We look forward to seeing you all in August 2025 for more science engagement activities during National Science Week.