As an annual celebration of science and technology, National Science Week is here again. From 10-18 August, Macquarie academics will take part in countless exciting events across Sydney.
Highlights
Australia’s Active Volcanoes: When Will The Next Eruption Be?
Dennis Johnson Library, Stanhope Garden
8 August, 7.30 – 8.30pm
The last volcanic eruptions in mainland Australia took place around 4,500-5,000 years ago – are we overdue for an eruption?
Associate Professor Heather Handley explores Australia’s rich volcanic history and addresses how likely a future eruption is, what the warning signals might look like and how much time we will have to prepare should we detect signs of activity.
The Science of Hoarding
Metcalfe Auditorium, State Library of NSW
8 August, 11am – 12pm
Australians spend over $10.5 billion annually on goods and services that are never or rarely used. Five per cent of the population hang onto these unused items with such tenacity that their homes become dangerously cluttered.
Join Associate Professor Melissa Norberg to learn why we are motivated to acquire and save possessions we do not need.
Are smart phones making us dumb?
Barry O’Keefe Library, Mosman
12 August, 7pm – 8pm
Professor Mark Williams explores the idea: are smart phones making us dumb? Discover how our use of digital devices may be affecting our brains and therefore the reality we ‘see’.
From Reef to Harbour: The Hidden Wonder of NSW Corals
Sydney Institute of Marine Science – Building 19
10 August, 6 – 8pm
Explore the underwater wonders of the coral reefs up and down the NSW coast with leading researchers at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
As you walk along the Chowder Bay foreshore, be virtually transported along the NSW coast from the Solitary Islands near Coffs Harbour, out to Lord Howe Island, down to Sydney Harbour, and along the South Coast through videos, interactive displays, coral samples and replicas and artwork. Then join in discussions with researchers including Professor Jane Williamson about the management of these precious marine resources.
The Other Side of Cannabis
Creator Space Chatswood Library
7 August, 7pm – 8pm
Increasingly, cannabis is viewed as much more than a recreational drug. Join Michael Udoh, a molecular pharmacology PhD candidate, to discover another side of cannabis. Find out medicinal purposes for cannabis and how its chemicals might affect areas of the body to combat chronic health conditions like epilepsy.
More Macquarie academics at National Science Week
ABC Science Live on Stage – Ockham’s Razor
Dr Kate Selway
Sheila Pham
Unlocking the Cosmos with Light
Nuria Lorente
Simon O’Toole
Tayyaba Zafar
Angel R. Lopez-Sanchez
Aquatic Systems: A Look Under the Microscope
Giulia Filippini
Shells – How beach ecosystems respond to the environment
Matt Kerr
“Is bigger always better?”
Professor Richard de Grijs
Exploring medical brain research
Dr Lindsay Parker
Citizen Science – science needs you!
Dr Koa Webster
Young people and e-cigarettes
Dr Samia Amin
Synthetic Cannabinoids: new psychoactive substances
Shivani Sachdev
Green building for the sea
Kate Dodds
Indigenous science experience – family fun day
Joanne Jamie
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