National Science Week: Activities for students

Design a Pollen Trap

You will need:

• a few small rectangles of white cardboard or stiff white paper
• string
• a hole punch (or use a pen to make a hole)
• petroleum jelly (such as Vasaline)
• magnifying glass
• pen or pencil

Instructions:

1. Make a hole in each piece of cardboard / paper
2. Smear a thin layer of petroleum jelly on one side of each of the cardboard
3. Using the string, hang the bits of cardboard outside in different places (eg: from trees, off balconies, etc).
4. Write down the cardboard's location on the back
5. After a few days, take the cardboard down & look at what has stuck to the surface.

What is happening?

On the card, you'll see some dust and dirt. If you look closely, you may also notice some yellow grains, This is pollen. Depending on their location, the cards may have different amounts of pollen on them. Flowering plants create pollen as part of their reproductive process. It is produced in the stamen and contains some of the genetic information from the plant that created it. 

Share a photo of your green goodness on social media!
#scienceweek

Become a Hoot Detective!

Is that an owl hooting? Or a car?

Researchers are after volunteers to help map five native Australian owl species, by listening to short recordings made in the bush. The results will provide important information about the range and numbers of these beloved birds of prey. They will also help researchers develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems to use in a new field of science, known as “eco-acoustics”.

Download the sample audio here

Click here to join over 700 other citizen scientists and become a "hoot detective"

Design a bug-based burger

Your challenge is to design a bug-based burger. Will it be based on crickets, maggots or worms? Design and draw your burger, and upload a photo on social media using #scienceweek

Check out the insects being farmed in Queanbeyan, NSW by a company called Goterra. The ecological footprint of insect farming is low. In South Australia's Riverland, citrus and grain farmer Tim Schubert has installed two shipping containers in which to raise insects. Their aim is to subsidise their farming income in the lean seasons with insects, which require a fraction of the water of livestock or chickens.

Pitch a new vision for a popular dish

Think about a favourite / popular dish or menu item and find a solution to select and prepare the dish in a "healthy and sustainable" way. Then pitch your idea on social media using #scienceweek. Your pitch could be a drawing, video...anything at all. Some ideas to get you started:

• Which recipe will you recreate?
• What ingredients and equipment do you need?
• How will you cook the food with a low ecological footprint?
• What sustainable approaches to cooking and waste will you use?