Metropolitan Sites
The Western Australian Museum is ready to celebrate National Science Week this year with fun, hands-on and educational activities throughout the metropolitan area.
There will be something for everyone with fascinating activities ranging from the world of maritime archaeology, virtual realities, marine art, becoming a citizen scientist, and behind-the-scenes tours.
WA SHIPWRECKS MUSEUM
Cliff Street, Fremantle
Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Dates: Saturday 11 to Sunday 19 August
Times: 10:30am to 11:30am
Ages: 8+ (all children must be accompanied by an adult)
Cost: Free
Bookings: Essential on 1300 134 081 or reception@museum.wa.gov.au
Further info: museum.wa.gov.au/museums/shipwrecks/national-science-week-behind-scenes-tours
Join Museum staff on an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the WA Shipwrecks Museum. Learn firsthand how objects and artefacts are treated and conserved as you are led on a private viewing of the Museum’s maritime archaeology and conservation work areas.
WA MARITIME MUSEUM
Victoria Quay, Fremantle
Drawing Workshops with Ross Potter
Dates: Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 August
Times: 1:30pm to 3pm
Cost: Free. WA Maritime Museum entry fees apply for guardians
Ages: 8 to 14 (all children must be accompanied by an adult)
Bookings: Essential on 1300 134 081 or reception@museum.wa.gov.au
Further info: museum.wa.gov.au/museums/wa-maritime-museum/ross-potter-drawing-workshops
Local artist Ross Potter will be running workshops to sketch a selection of marine artefacts from the Museum’s amazing collections. Not only will you gain a deeper appreciation of our wondrous ocean creatures, but you will also learn simple techniques to capture subjects and how to work with graphite on paper.
PERTH ROYAL SHOW
Claremont Showgrounds
Perth Science Festival
Dates: Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 August
Times: 10am to 5pm
Ages: All ages
Cost: $10.00. Free to children under 4 years (bookings still essential)
Bookings: Essential http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite
Meet curators and scientists from the Western Australian Museum at this year’s Perth Science Festival. Come and explore the ocean with marine archaeologists, see how we conserve WA’s history and find out about WA’s amazing biodiversity on the land and in the water. You can even build your own bug!
The Antarctica Experience: get a sneak peak of this VR experience where you’ll spend a day in the life of an Antarctic explorer. See the work that goes into understanding climate change, managing eco-systems and conserving wildlife. This full-length VR adventure can be enjoyed at the WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle this September.
Entry to Claremont Showgrounds is ticketed. Tickets can be purchased at https://scitech.eventsair.com/perthscifest/register/Site/Register
VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Mini Beasts in My City – Citizen Science Program using an App.
Dates: Saturday 4 to Sunday 19 August
Ages: All welcome to participate
Cost: Free
Bookings: N/A. Download the App at museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite/mini-beasts-my-city
Calling all citizen scientists! We need your help to learn more about the biodiversity and Mini Beasts of Western Australia. Our State is home to amazing parks and bushland areas that have their own unique biodiversity—and we want to know more about the insects and little critters that contribute to these environments.
Helping is simple. Download the MyPestGuideTM Reporter App and start taking photos of the Mini Beasts you find in your back garden, neighbourhood and local parks. The data you collect will contribute to our knowledge!
Mini Beasts in My City – Field Day
Venue: Lake Vasto, Ozone Park, East Perth
Date: Sunday 12 August
Times: 10am – 4pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All ages
Bookings: Places limited. Bookings recommended on museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite/mini-beasts-my-city
Join Mini Beast experts from the WA Museum, Murdoch University, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development at Lake Vasto/Ozone Park for hands-on experiences with Mini Beasts. There will be fascinating tours, examples of equipment used by experts to map biodiversity, and so much more.
Be sure to register ahead of time so we can schedule our experts, tours, and Mini Beast specimens!
Mini Beasts in My City – book launch.
Dr Terry Houston’s Guide to Native Australian Bees
Venue: City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Dates: Tuesday 14 August
Times: 4.30pm to 6pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All ages
Bookings: Recommended http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite/mini-beasts-my-city
WA Museum Research Associate Dr Terry Houston is a renowned expert on bees. Having spent 50 years studying Australian native bees, his Guide to Native Australian Bees reveals varied, and sometimes surprising, characteristics of bees: they are not always yellow and black and can even be wasp-like with purple and blue markings; some bees enjoy socialising and others build their homes with wax or gumnuts.
Guide to Native Australian Bees will be on sale at the launch with Dr Houston on-hand for signing.
Mini Beasts in My City – Dr Bugalugs Talk
Citizen Science and our environment
Venue: City of Perth Library, 573 Hay Street, Perth
Dates: Tuesday 14 August
Times: 6.30pm to 8pm
Cost: Free
Ages: All ages
Bookings: Places limited. Bookings recommended on museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite/mini-beasts-my-city
Join Dr Bugalugs (aka Dr Darryl Hardie) as he discusses the role of citizen science in protecting our environment from pest species. The role of citizen scientists is critical to monitoring species and mapping our biodiversity. Learn how the data citizen scientists collect can play an important role in protecting our biodiversity as well as food production programs.
Mini Beasts in My City – Junior Curator Competition
Competition entries close Tuesday 7 August at 4pm. Winners win a place in an exclusive workshop with WA scientists.
Ages: 12 to 15 years
Entry: Online museum.wa.gov.au/museums/offsite/junior-curator-workshop-competition
Prize: A place in the Junior Curator Workshop to be held at City of Perth Library on Thursday 16 August from 9am to 1.30pm.
If you are aged between 12 and 15 years, interested in science, have a passion for the world of classifying and naming different life forms or how genetic analysis enhances our knowledge, or you’re just fascinated with insects, why not enter our competition to take part in our Junior Curator Workshop!
Winners of our junior curator competition will attend a special hands-on workshop at the City of Perth Library for a one-of-a-kind learning experience about insects and other Mini Beasts from our environment! Experts from the WA Museum, Murdoch University, and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development will share stories about their science careers and answer as many questions as possible.
Regional Sites
The Western Australian Museums of Geraldton, the Goldfields and the Great Southern will feature exciting, educational and hands-on activities and events to celebrate this year’s National Science Week which runs from 11 August to 19 August 2018.
There will be something for everyone with fascinating activities ranging from astrophotography workshops, building and programming robots, exploring the fascinating world of crustaceans and discovering dinosaurs.
For more information on the WA Museum’s celebrations, visit museum.wa.gov.au
Museum of Geraldton
Batavia Coast Marina, Geraldton
Astrofest Astrophotography Workshop
Dates: Saturday 11 August
Times: 10:00am to 12:00pm
Ages: Not for children
Cost: Free
Bookings: Essential
Further info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/museum-geraldton/astrophotography-workshop
This introductory workshop covers the essentials of astrophotography and includes a tour of the Astrofest 2018 Astrophotography Exhibition, highlighting the techniques and methods used by Western Australian astrophotographers. It is presented by the Astrofest exhibition curator and member of The World at Night, Dr John Goldsmith, and Geraldton-based astrophotographer Ken Lawson.
Astrofest astrophotography floor talks with Dr John Goldsmith
Dates and Times: Saturday 11 August 1:30pm to 2:15pm
Sunday 12 August 10.30am to 11.15am
Ages: All Ages
Cost: Free
Bookings: No Bookings Required
The 2018 Astrofest astrophotography exhibition celebrates and showcases Western Australian astrophotographers and astro-imagers who have recorded stunning astronomical landscape images in locations throughout Western Australia and beyond. Exhibition Curator Dr John Goldsmith from Celestial Visions will deliver a floor talk on the exhibition finalists’ work. This mesmerising exhibition can also be seen at the Museum 9.30am – 3pm daily until 20 August.
Sustainable Innovation Sundowner
Dates: Tuesday 14 August
Times: 6:00pm to 8:30pm
Ages: 18+
Cost: Free
Bookings: Essential
Further info: https://goodness.org.au/event/sustainable-innovation-sundowner/
The Museum of Geraldton will be hosting a free Sustainable Innovation Sundowner as part of the Goodness Festival. Guests can hear about the latest sustainable energy, water, agriculture and communications innovations in the region and abroad. This is a free 18+ event with food and drinks. The event will also feature presentations by
· Dr Bill Grace UWA – Renewable Energy Innovation and Sustainability around the World/Australia
· Bao Nguyen – 2018 Nuffield Scholarship Winner – will talk about his Agriculture World Tour
· Shelley Shepherd – New Water Ways Sustainable Urban Water Management
· Rob Smallwood Mid West Development Commission – Tech Innovations in the Region
· Geraldton Community Energy Initiative
WA Museum of the Goldfields
Hannan Street, Kalgoorlie
Proto-storming with GEMIA
Dates: Sunday 12 August
Times: 10:00am to 2:00pm
Cost: Free
Ages: 5+
Bookings: Not required
Further info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/museum-of-the-goldfields/community-science-day
Unleash your ideas and problem solving skills to create models and prototypes at rapid speed during a proto-storming innovation workshop. Do you love to build with Lego? Add another level to your creation with Lego robotics! Program your masterpiece to move and complete some tricky challenges.
Nugget the Bear Celebration
Dates: Sunday 19 August
Times: 11:00am to 1:00pm
Cost: Free
Ages: 5+
Bookings: Not required
Further info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/museum-of-the-goldfields/adventures-nugget-bear-space
Help us celebrate the successful launch of Nugget the Bear and experience the short film made from his adventures. Find out where and how high he travelled, and where he ended up. Can you make Nugget 2 and Nugget 3 land on the Moon? Join GEMIA in a fun activity where you can launch a bear!
WA Museum of the Great Southern
Residency Road, Albany
Fifty Shades of Cray: the secret life of crustacea
Dates: Tuesday 14 August
Times: 10:30am and 5:30pm
Ages: All ages
Cost: Gold coin donation
Bookings: Essential for catering purposes – light refreshments will be served.
Further info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/museum-of-the-great-southern/fifty-shades-cray-secret-life-crustacea
Andrew Hosie, curator (crustacea and worms) of the WA Museum will explore the world of crustacean reproduction from lifecycles, eggs and larvae to courtship, fending off potential rivals and ensuring that their progeny survives to populate the next generation.
Junior Scientists – Dinosaur Discovery
Dates: Wednesday August 15
Times: 10:30am to 12:00pm
Ages: 2 – 6 years
Cost: Free
Bookings: Essential – limited places
Further info: http://museum.wa.gov.au/museums/museum-of-the-great-southern/dinosaur-discovery-junior-science-workshop
Discover the facts about dinosaurs, what were they and when did they live? How do we know so much about them now and where did they go? A junior science-based program on dinosaurs, with hands-on activities including movement, music and craft.
SCINEMA at the Museum
Dates: Saturday 11 August to Sunday 19 August
Times: 10am – 4pm (Films will be played on a loop)
Ages: All ages
Cost: Free
Bookings: Not required
SCINEMA is the largest science film festival in the southern hemisphere showcasing the best in science cinema from around the world. SCINEMA is a celebration of the power of the moving image to inspire the young, satisfy the curious, explain the baffling and ask the impossible. The Museum will screen a selection of SCINEMA films on a loop every day during National Science Week in the Discovery Centre. Film Harvest will also be featuring a different film—the Best of SCINEMA—at the Orana cinema in Albany on Wednesday 15 August at 6:15pm to 8:15pm (this is a paid event and rated M).
Ends
Media contact
Hillary Henry
Media and Communications Officer
Western Australian Museum
(08) 6552 7897
Hillary.Henry@museum.wa.gov.au
