Science in the City engages thousands of students in the wonder of science
1 July 2011
Meeting the monsters beneath our feet, making super conductors float mid-air, learning about great chemical disasters and meeting Dr Karl are just some of the exciting experiences school students attending Science in the City in August 2011 will enjoy.
Science in the City is run by executive partners the Australian Museum and the University of Sydney, with project sponsor 3M, and provides primary and high school students with exciting hands-on science workshops, shows, talks and an expo to celebrate National Science Week each year. Having run since 2001, Science in the City has engaged tens of thousands of students from Sydney and its surrounds in a wide range of science activities.
In 2011, the primary school program runs from 9 to 11 August and the high school program runs from 16 to 18 August, with over 200 timetabled science activities to be held at the Australian Museum. The program has a special focus on chemistry workshops, shows and talks as 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry.
"We're expecting over 4 000 students to come to Science in the City this year to take part in the fun science activities on offer," said Professor Trevor Hambley, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney.
"Science in the City gives students the wonderful opportunity to experience science they don't get to do in the classroom, including using equipment not usually found in schools, meeting research scientists from universities and science research organisations, and learning about science disciplines not offered in school," explained Professor Hambley.
Teachers can tailor a program to suit their class by selecting from the huge range of activities on offer including shows, workshops, seminars, tours, lectures and the expo provided by some of Australia's best science research and education bodies.
The University of Sydney will run activities in physics, biology, chemistry, agriculture, geosciences and psychology, as well as Dr Karl Kruszelnicki's popular 'Great Moments in Science' talk.
In the show Flying Freezing Floating Physics, run by the School of Physics, students will see amazing experiments performed live on stage involving rocket launchers, superconductors at -200 degrees Celsius, and the crazy effects of Einstein's theory of relativity.
The workshop A Close Look at Animal Flight, run by the School of Biological Sciences, allows students to explore animal flight - one of the most wonderous traits of the natural world - using live specimens. Using special lighting and one of the world's greatest migratory species, students will do hands-on experiments to investigate how animals fly.
The School of Chemistry will run its Chemistry Workshop where students will roll up their sleeves and take part in experiments and also watch chemical demonstrations. In the talk Great Chemical Disasters, students will be taken on an extraordinary journey through the world's greatest chemical disasters, where they will learn about the stupidity of human error and the unpredictability of nature, including crowd pleasing demonstrations.
The Plant Power workshop, run by the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, will allow students to explore the wonderful world of plants and find out why they are the powerhouses of the planet. Students will perform hands-on experiments and learn about recent advances in biotechnology and plant genetics.
In the talk Forensic Psychology - Lie Detection, run by the School of Psychology, students will take part in an interactive demonstration exploring why people lie and how lies can be detected. Students will learn why some people are better liars than others and why some people are better lie detectors. They will learn how a polygraph (lie detector machine) works and discover why it is not always reliable.
Other Science in the City activities are being run by organisations such as the Australian Museum, 3M, CSIRO, UNSW, Fizzics Education, Powerhouse Museum, Taronga Zoo, SMART at the University of Newcastle and Sydney Olympic Park Education.
"By experiencing the amazing breadth of science, school students who attend Science in the City can be energised in their science studies and be inspired to consider a career in science," said Professor Hambley.
Since 2006, Science in the City executive partners - the Australian Museum and the University of Sydney - have extended the reach of the project to include communities in regional Sydney and rural NSW with Science in the Suburbs and Science in the Bush. Made possible through support from the innovative and diversified technology company 3M, these events bring science education events to communities across Sydney and NSW each year.
See the full program of activities at Science in the City at: www.scienceinthecity.net
Contact: Katynna Gill
Phone: 02 9351 6997