Celebrating National Science Week 2021

Join us as we celebrate the 25th National Science Week from 14 to 22 August 2021. More than 1,600 in-person and online events are happening around Australia!

12 August 2021

News

min read

Science engagement

Science, technology and innovation

We’re celebrating the 25th National Science Week from Saturday 14 August to Sunday 22 August.

We’re celebrating the 25^th National Science Week from Saturday 14 August to Sunday 22 August. More than 1,600 activities will be happening around Australia to mark this significant milestone.

Celebrating science and technology for 25 years

National Science Week events promote and encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and communicate its relevance in everyday life. They provide opportunities for the community to participate and be inspired by science engagement activities across the nation.

The first National Science Week (or ‘National Science Festival’ as it was called then) was piloted in 1997 with 200 events. Since then it has become Australia’s largest annual celebration of science and technology reaching its highest number of events in 2017 with 2,157 events.

Universities, schools, research institutions, libraries, museums and science centres around Australia deliver National Science Week events. They attract a wide range of audiences – from children to adults, science amateurs to professionals. Over one million people participate in science events across the nation.

Our department supports National Science Week by:

providing up to $500 000 for the National Science Week Grants (part of the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Programme)
supporting coordinating committees in each state and territory
organising events through our portfolio agencies such as the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Geoscience Australia, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Australian Space Agency
partnering with other organisers or providing speakers to events
promoting the week through our social media and web channels.

Last year, event organisers found innovative ways to stage online events, following lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19. This trend continues for 2021, allowing people to participate in a wide range of formats – from in-person events to virtual tours, webcasts, DIY experiments and competitions – despite pandemic restrictions in states and territories.

National Science Week highlights

Here are just some of the inspiring online events you can join:

DIY Science 2021 – Questacon has put together a range of do-it-yourself science to try at home, including some delicious ones based on this year’s schools theme: ‘Food: Different by design’.
How Did I Get Here? The twists and turns of a STEM career – Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM, will be joining other panellists in a webinar that may interest people considering a career in STEM. The National Youth Science Forum has organised this webinar.
Building the Universe, Brick by brick – The Young Stars will build a model of the universe as it grew from the Big Bang to today using LEGO! Some residents in the ACT will be able to join in-person at the ANU Physics Link Studio, but those outside may join the event online.

Find more events happening online or around your local areas on the National Science Week website.