South Australia is home to fabulous fossils, space science, and passionate citizen scientists.
National Science Week 2025 officially launched in SA with the announcement of the South Australian Citizen Science Awards.
First prize went to The Little Penguin Volunteer Monitoring Program and the runner up was Mozzie Monitors, an initiative to address mosquito-borne illnesses.
There are several citizen science events during Science Week, including:
The Great Beach Lab: Microplastics sampling, water testing, and biodiversity surveys at Henley Beach, Glenelg Beach and Hallett Cove Beach- Dolphin monitoring at Victor Harbor
- CSIRO Wild Watch, finding and photographing Australia’s flora and fauna.
But wait! There’s more!
Below is a selection of more events to give you a taste of the science smorgasbord on offer. Alternatively, use the search engine to find more events in South Australia.
Grow 4 Launch! Workshops: grow, test & imagine the future of food in space: Throughout National Science Week
It’s Day 530 on the moon base and you’re eating packaged slop again… until a delivery of nutrient-enhanced microgreens arrives from Earth. Your mission is to sustainably grow and harvest edible plants in an extreme environment. But first you need to learn the basics of plant biology, food chemistry and farming approaches that minimise water, energy and resource use.
The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, which is headquartered in Adelaide, is supersizing its mission to develop out-of-this-world future foods by enlisting public participation in ‘Grow 4 Launch’ experiments.
Participants will receive a microgreens kit complete with seeds, hydroponics gear and test tools, alongside guidance on how to alter plant sensory traits (colour, taste, smell and texture) and investigate conditions that help sustainable growth.
The project also invites participants to submit recipes, results and ideas for a Spacefood Cookbook which will also feature contributions from astronauts, nutritionists and chefs.
Do you want to live forever? – Thursday 14 August in Adelaide
But what will it take to keep your body going forever and would you really want to?
Hear what neuroscience and health experts have to say during the FOREVER exhibition at University of South Australia’s Museum of Discovery (MOD). Panellists include:
- University of South Australia’s Professor Grant Tomkinson, who focuses on the link between physical fitness and health.
- The University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Lyndsey Collins-Praino, who leads the Cognition, Ageing and Neurodegenerative Disease Laboratory.
Weaving Connections – FOREVER Exhibition Tour and Weaving Workshop: Wednesday 13 August in Adelaide
First Nations artist Sonya Rankin will share Traditional Knowledge of textiles through a weaving workshop. Sonya will lead and assist participants in creating ‘random weave’ pieces, providing a tactile and immersive experience about making meaning through cultural objects. Sonya is a Ngarringdjeri, Ngadjuri, Narungga & Wirangu woman and founder of Lakun Mara, meaning ‘Weaving Hand’ in Ngarrindjeri language.
Birds and Bugs- Wetlands Wonders of Renmark’s Restored Floodplains: Saturday 16 August in Renmark
Bird spotters and bug catchers wanted: Renmark Irrigation Trust is seeking citizen scientists to help document birds and bugs making a comeback to restored Murray River floodplains.
Participants will look for native woodland and wetland birds and learn how to collect, identify and preserve insects for Renmark’s first floodplain invertebrate record.
Science in the Outback Pub: plants in extremes: Friday 15 August in Andamooka; Saturday 16 August in Copley
Is it easier to grow food on Mars than in the South Australian Outback? That’s the curious question behind Science in the Outback Pub events organised by the Outback Communities Authority in partnership with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space.
Achieving food security is a key challenge for remote communities and disproportionately impacts First Nations Australians. Events will be held in Oodnadatta, Andamooka and Copley, where communities have demonstrated an interest in and capacity for independent food production, including controlled growing environments, community gardens, solar and desalination facilities.
Plants for Space scientists will share insights on future food missions, in Space and on Earth, and explore how their research, technologies and processes could benefit Outback communities.
The Ammonites ROCK – female fossil rockers on tour: Saturday 23 August in Oaklands Park; Saturday 30 August in Angle Park
Aussie girl-geek band The Ammonites is taking a palaeo-musical show across South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
The trio – Danni, Morgan and Blair, who graduated from Dinosaur University – are the alter-egos of performers Bridget Tran, Kate Neville and Montana Vincent. With the help of renowned singing palaeontologist Professor Flint, their show explores Australia’s prehistoric past, while shining a light on challenges facing women in science and inspiring girls to follow their lead and dream big!
Professor Flint will also bring a ‘show and tell’ table of Australian fossils on tour. Plus, audiences will get the chance to dive into a 580-million-year-old inland sea, thanks to the University of South Australia’s 360 VR reconstruction of the ancient Ediacaran seafloor.
