World Science Festival 2016

  • Author(s)
    Ellie Downing
  • Category
    Education
  • Published
    22 March 2016
  • Read time
    2 minutes

In early March, our Science Festival team travelled to Brisbane for the World Science Festival Street Science event.

We saw thousands of visitors from our spot underneath the majestic mammals in the Whale Mall of the Queensland Museum and shared the NSW treasures that are the knowledge, collections, and staff enthusiasm of the Australian Museum.

Squid Dissection - WSF
Image: Karen Player
© Australian Museum

The success of the display was the variety of specimens, resources and expertise we brought with us. A special Museum in a Box® was taken up; full of excellent scat specimens, possum tails, bird wings and more. We ran a visitors in a variety of activities including:

  • Fingerprinting and even some ear printing
  • How to sample for blood proteins (and get a false positive from avocados)
  • Extracted DNA from Strawberries
  • 10 squid dissections in front of inquisitive visitors,

There was only one (maybe two) accidental spurts of pupil fluids over the crowds.

The event was a huge success and Queensland Museum wants us back next year. Six hours of non-stop demonstrations and explanations can be exhausting. It is worth it when you see someone start jumping up and down with enthusiasm or hear them say excitedly 'I didn’t know that!'.

The power of these events isn’t just generated from the knowledge, objects and excitement of those involved. It's the forming of a community that cannot contain their love of science and want to share that passion with others.