Ignite your imagination

Among 300 NSW events is the Australian Museum Science Festival that will welcome more than 5000 students through its doors over the next two weeks. The Festival’s public open day is this Saturday and all are invited to participate in the entertaining demonstrations and shows, including life-size dinosaurs and activities designed to encourage people to appreciate, learn and understand the science they see every day.

Also on 10 August, there’s a free science festival at Centennial Parklands. You can learn about Indigenous aspects of science at Redfern Community Centre with a seminar series on Saturday 10 August and a free family fun day on Sunday 11 August. Visit the yarning space where you can enjoy a cuppa with Elders who will be on hand to share their traditional knowledge throughout the weekend.

There are two free public seminars next week at the University of Sydney. Surviving the Game: the Psychology of Gambling (5.45pm, 14 August) looks at why we gamble more than we can afford, and Inner space: visualising the earth, mind and body (6pm, 15 August) brings Professor Ian Hickie from the Brain & Mind Research Institute and Professor John Crawford from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre with Dr Kate Patterson from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research to explore how cutting edge techniques for visualisation offer new insight into science and medicine.

The Australian Documentary Foundation is partnering with Australian Film Television and Radio School to explore science documentary filmmaking at an event where Director Randall Wood will screen and discuss his award-winning feature The Worm Hunters on 14 August.

On Friday 16 August, there’s an open night at the Green Point Observatory in Oyster Bay and the Amazing Science Circus comes to the Castle Hill Powerhouse Discovery Centre for two days over the weekend of 16-17 August. Throughout August, an exhibition of fascinating microscopic images is on show at Customs House at Circular Quay.

NSW regional highlights include an electric vehicle grand prix in Newcastle, a Science Cafe at the Dubbo Regional Botanical Garden and an impressive line up of science events in Albury Wadonga. You can explore SMART trees at the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale and learn techniques for biodiversity mapping on the Sapphire Coast.

You can also get involved in this year’s national online Citizen Science project Explore the Seafloor and help map the location of kelp and sea urchin populations in hundreds of underwater images.

See details of these and other NSW event highlights