National Science Week 2025: Decoding the Universe – Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language
For National Science Week 2025, the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute joined forces with the Chau Chak Wing Museum to plan a full weekend of scientific activities for all ages. The theme of National Science Week was Decoding the Universe, and our program incorporated a range of scientific disciplines, aiming to illustrate what kinds of mysteries are being untangled! The floor talks spanned a range of scientific pursuits and were given by Amelia Meier, Briony Barr, Ciaran O’Hare, Emily Kerrison, Katy Gero, Kovi Rose, Laura Driessen, and Philip Gough. The talks culminated in an interdisciplinary panel, exploring the theme of National Science Week and involving Ana Vila Concejo, Jean Yang, John Voight, and Tony Wirth, moderated by Stephan Tillmann.
Hands-on activity stations included the Marine Sciences Institute‘s Dive into the Magic of the Marine World, which offered the opportunity to get up close and personal with live rockpool creatures, as well as to build Lego coral reefs to illustrate the damaging impact of waves on coastline. OzGrav took visitors for a trip out into the solar system using a virtual reality headset, so that they could experience the vastness of the Universe themselves, interacting with planets, stars, black holes and gravitational waves! To put the M in STEM, the Sydney Mathematical Research Institute put on a range of maths crafts activities involving 3D-fractals and line art, which were popular with younger children. Alongside artist Briony Barr, visitors also contributed to the Drawing on Complexity: Klein Bottle Experiment, which continued to add more and more colours and complex lines! Check out the gallery below for more details.
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