Generous grants mark National Science Week

Forensic science, ocean sustainability and pop-up health lab projects are among those being funded by the Government’s 2020 National Science Week Grants.

Some 33 projects across Australia will share in $500,000 of funding to support creative and engaging events during National Science Week in August.

One is a health education clinic and pop-up lab, HealthLab which is hitting the road in the Northern Territory, as well as a week-long program of events on the Gold Coast that look into the cutting-edge science of ocean sustainability.

In Melbourne, the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine will present the daily lives of forensic scientists including how their work compares to what you may see on TV.

For more than 20 years, National Science Week has attracted children, adults, science enthusiasts and professionals alike and in 2019 there were more than 2000 events across the nation. In 2020, National Science Week will run from 15-23 August. 

The Government awards National Science Week grants of between $2000 and $20,000 each year. Grants are highly competitive, and aim to support a spread of projects across Australia in a variety of scientific fields.

The Great Aussie BioQuest Challenge by Earth Guardians is another grant recipient, it helps users submit wildlife sightings to help scientists map biodiversity and study how climate change is influencing where wild creatures are.

The Challenge is a competition: any Australian with a smartphone can use the QuestaGame app and compete as an individual or a virtual team by logging sightings of real plants, animals and fungi. A large expert community identifies and verifies the sightings, gives feedback, and rewards “scientific remarkability” points. High scoring players and teams receive prizes. The sighting data is shared with leading biodiversity databases.

Our Outdoors: the science of healthy cities from the University of Sydney is another recipient. It is an interactive family event featuring a drop-in Experimentarium, guided nature walks, and a scientists’ picnic. Participants will learn the role that shared outdoor spaces play in health and wellbeing, how science is tackling key issues affecting cities and how they can get involved to help tackle these issues. The event will take place in Fairfield, Western Sydney.

The complete list of successful National Science Week 2020 grants is here: www.scienceweek.net.au/national-grant-projects-for-2020