More than 1000 primary and secondary students from throughout Queensland are expected to visit the University of Queensland for National Science Week activities from May 2 to 10.
Student activities will include science shows, a marine science tour, a look at dinosaur fossils departmental science demonstrations and hands-on fun in the laboratory with fungi and chemistry.
Students, teachers, members of the public and business and government leaders are expected to take part in activities during the week.
Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture marketing officer Jackie Mergard said the University had been swamped with requests from schools to participate in activities.
'The Department of Industry, Science and Technology is sponsoring the Solve It With Science Kit for 50 schools but many more have wanted to participate and we have extended numbers by selling kits to interested schools,' she said.
'We are also involved in an extensive program of outreach activities, which includes visits to schools by students who speak about careers in science and demonstrate simple experiments. We are also sponsoring the Sciencentre/UQ travelling science show which will visit regional centres throughout Queensland from April to November.
'This roadshow is a travelling science exhibition which aims to show the relevance of science and technology to everyday life in an interesting and exciting way. During Science Week it will be visiting Goondiwindi.'
Science Week activities at the University of Queensland in Brisbane would include industry breakfasts, a 'solve-it-with-science' in-school kit, public lectures, science expo open day, schools on campus days, science discovery bags, and a seminar series for students and the general public.
'The science discovery bags were a big hit in 1997 with more than 3000 sold at the Royal Queensland Show,' Mrs Mergard said.
'This year some 5000 bags, each with 30 activities, will be available at a Science Expo open day on Monday May 4 at the University's St Lucia campus, during Science Week at the University, and at this year's Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane in August.'
Bag activities will include makings for a paper plane, so students can compete in the Boeing Australia paper plane making competition during Engineering Week from August 31 to September 4. Two prizes, each of $500, will be offered for paper planes which stay the longest time in the air, and travel the longest distance.
They will also contain materials so students can enter the annual Royal Australian Chemical Institute crystal-growing competition.
Week highlights include:
Saturday and Sunday May 2 and 3 - the University Mine at Isles Road, Indooroopilly will open free to the public 10am to 4 pm both days, with tours and student competitions running continuously. Mine tours, available to people wearing closed footwear, will be conducted by students from the Mining, Minerals and Materials Engineering and Earth Sciences Departments. Visitors can also pan for gold, enjoy displays and food stalls and see a pilot plant demonstrating different methods of minerals processing.
Monday May 4 - free Science Expo Open Day at the University's St Lucia campus from 10 am to 3pm. Activities will include science shows at the Abel Smith Lecture Theatre, St Lucia at 10am, 12 noon and 2pm; demonstrations in University departments; and intelligent robots and the University's SunShark solar car will be displayed at Emmanuel College, St Lucia.
Tuesday May 5 to Friday, May 8. Industry breakfasts will be held at the University Staff and Graduates Club, St Lucia from 7am to 8.30am.
Guest speakers and their topics, will include:
- Universities and Science - Deputy Executive Dean of the Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture Faculty Professor John Simmons;
- The future of the Internet - Dr Melfyn Lloyd, Co-operative Research Centre for Distributed Systems Technology;
- Global Seasonal Forecasts for Australian Environmental Outlooks - Robert Young, Spatial Systems group, Department of Natural Resources;
- Antarctic findings - Professor Ken Collerson, Earth Sciences Department.
Tuesday May 5-Thursday, May 7, University scientists will discuss their work at the Hawken Lecture Theatres, St Lucia from 5pm to 8pm. The talks, which include a barbecue, cost $5. Speakers and topics are:
Tuesday May 5 - Life and Death on Coral Reefs, Dr Ian Tibbetts, School of Marine Science; The Molecular Time Machine: Blood Artefacts and DNA, Dr Tom Loy, Anthropology and Sociology Department/Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Wednesday May 6 - The Nanoworld: Electrons and Microscopy, Dr David Cousens, Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis.
Thursday, May 7 - Cool Robots: The Real Story, Dr Gordon Wyeth, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department.
For further information about any of these activities, contact Mrs Mergard, telephone 3365 3634 or by email: j.mergard@epsa.uq.edu.au
On Wednesday, May 6, University of Queensland staff will participate in an Australian Science Communicators Association/Sciencentre debate: Research and industry can never speak the same language, at the Sciencentre, corner George Street and Stephens Lane, City at 9am.
Participants for the affirmative are Beryl Morris (ForBio), Professor John Simmons (the University of Queensland) and Jim Duncan (Fibretech Developments Ltd). Speakers against are Professor Peter Andrews (Centre for Drug Design and Development, the University of Queensland), Harry Bonanno (Australian Canegrowers) and Dr John Manners (CRC for Tropical Plant Pathology/CSIRO). Morning tea will be served after the debate. Cost is $5. To register for this event, contact Michelle Riedlinger, telephone 3365 4776 or email: m.riedlinger@tpp.uq.edu.au
