In this newsletter: Queensland Museum as host of WSF and Graham's "Secrets of the Marshmallow Bazooka"
The World Science Festival 2022 in Brisbane
By Cathy James
Director, World Science Festival Brisbane
In March each year, big ideas and daring conversations take centre stage in Brisbane, as the best and boldest from Australia and around the world come together for World Science Festival Brisbane.
Founded in New York in 2008 by celebrated physicist and science Author Professor Brian Greene and award-winning broadcast journalist, Tracy Day, World Science Festival is a celebration and exploration of science.
Since 2016, World Science Festival Brisbane has continued the traditions of this internationally Festival, curating an innovative program particular to the social, cultural and scientific environs of Brisbane.
The only host of World Science Festival in the Asia-Pacific region, though World Science Festival Brisbane, Queensland Museum brings together great minds in science and the arts to produce live and digital content that presents the wonders of science and the drama of scientific discovery to a broad general audience.
Through the Festival, Queensland Museum Network is taking science out of the laboratory and into the streets of Brisbane, with a program spanning deep science, in-depth conversations, high energy science experiments, discoveries, exploration and innovation, education programs, music and interactive workshops. The Festival has built a reputation for developing and delivering world-class events, and is a cornerstone of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) engagement. Through the Festival, Queensland Museum Network has the opportunity to discuss today’s global challenges with a broad audience; from combating pandemics to natural disasters, tackling climate change and navigating the future of the universe.
Beyond Brisbane, Queensland Museum tours the Festival to five regional locations spread throughout the state, bringing the wonder of science to audiences in Chinchilla, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Townsville and Ipswich.
Like everyone in this unique time in modern history, Queensland Museum and World Science Festival Brisbane has faced a myriad of challenges. In 2022, flooding caused by unprecedented weather in Southeast Queensland saw many of our Festival venues unable to be accessed. Queensland Museum pivoted quickly to deliver a virtual World Science Festival Brisbane that saw more than 18,300 views of our digital content from across 61 countries. We reached a further five million impressions and engagements on our social platforms, with a cumulative audience of three billion reached through media.
The fortitude, ingenuity and steely determination synonymous with Queensland continues to shine, with Queensland Museum re-imagining programming to ensure the continued and increasing success of the Festival.
Queensland Museum has embraced new technologies and multi-faceted delivery methods to create an engaging, complex, adaptive Festival that truly celebrates the power of science and innovation.
Visitor feedback continues to be positive, with 77.5% of respondents feeling that engaging with World Science Festival Brisbane programming has made them more excited about science. Visitors are also looking forward to future festivals, with 95% of respondents likely to attend next year.
A 2109 PwC Festival report on the social impact of STEM engagement revealed visitors were more informed, and aware of science related social issues after attending the festival, and as a result feel more comfortable having conversations and making decisions about science.
It also highlighted STEM engagement with younger audiences was high, especially in terms of awareness of career and study pathways.
The future of STEM in Queensland is bright and Queensland Museum is committed to continuing its role as a leader in STEM learning and ensuring that science engagement is accessible to everyone.
World Science Festival Brisbane will return in 2023 with a bold and contemporary program of science, innovation and art to challenge and delight visitors from 22 March until 2 April. We look forward to welcoming our ASPAC friends to Brisbane to explore the Festival and everything that our wonderful city has to offer.
We look to science to provide answers, to give us hope and to open us to future possibilities. Making science accessible to young minds is critical to the growth of our communities. I am proud to be part of a program - and an institution - dedicated to inspiring our next generation of scientists, innovators and creative thinkers.
Letter with the Detailed Secrets of the
Marshmallow Bazooka
From Graham Walker
After the very successful AMEL 2022 and Annual Conference in Bursa, Turkiye, people asked me about this wonderful make and demo at the conference, so here are all the instructions (attached). Note the attached focuses on the physics and chemistry, but this is also a fantastic demonstration for talking about fossil fuels, CO2 emissions and climate change. As per my talk at the conference, recontextualising existing demonstrations into a climate change context is an efficient way to bring more climate communication into your programming. You can also see a video of the make and demo at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=754423691644658
Make sure you to BE SAFE and conduct any required risk assessments for the making or demo as per procedures in your centre. Contact me before you try it for any safety issues and note all the precautionary measures in the attached "secret document". :)))
I’d love to hear what you use it for!
Note this is the first in what I hope will be more ‘demo/make shares’ in the newsletter – please send your submissions to christer.desilva@themindmuseum.org with the subject line demo/make share for ASPAC newsletter.
Most of all, enjoy!!!
Graham
Post your events on FB: Any ASPAC member can post their events and offerings in the ASPAC FB page. That will be the best platform for all our simultaneous announcements. However, should there be an event that you need the ASPAC leadership to officially endorse and solicit participation in, please click here to email details to the current Executive Director.
and IF YOU LOVE TO WRITE...: Whatever your role in your organization, if you love to write, please send me your article on whatever it is you think would be worthwhile to share with ASPAC. I cannot predict or limit what that will be as there are so many connections between our work and the rest of what others in the world are doing, This is especially ripe in these strangest of times. We are excited to see your insights! Please send me your piece and we will see how it fits in our ASPAC human story. We are excited to unearth the evolving pool of ASPAC writers! Thank you!