Australian National Science Week 16-24 August 2014: events in Canberra

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology, showcasing science – from the unusual to the everyday – and individuals, and organizations all around the country – through events and activities. Over 1,000 events for people of all ages are held every August by universities, schools, museums, organizations, science centers, and individuals. This year is the 16^th year of the National Science Week.

Events in Canberra include several held at Questacon, the science and technology interactive museum in the capital city. These include: SciNight – Sport (15 August), The Science of Electricity, Light and the Future (16 August), Learn to Code Camp (18-22 August), Towards a World without Dementia (20 August), Early Antarctic Exploration for Science (21 August), and Double Decker Science (22 August and 23 August) – a 30 minute extravaganza of tunes and explosive science.

Other events include: Women of Science Wikibomb (14 August) at the Shine Dome in the Academy of Science; Australian National University (ANU) Science Carnival (15 August and 16 August); NICTA in ACTion (15 August) at Melville Hall; Science in ACTion – Careers Day (15 August and 16 August); FutureCop (16 August) at Theatre 5 of the Manning Clarke Centre; The past, present and future of Australian environmental science (19 August) at the Shine Dome; Glass and Science (21 August) at the Canberra Glassworks; and Science Trivia Night (22 August) at King O’Malley’s Irish Pub

Art exhibitions include: Imitation (31 July – 17 August) at M16 Artspace, and Embracing Innovation Volume 4 (24 July – 30 August) at the Canberra Craft + Design Centre. A music event includes Space Oddity with astronaut Chris Hadfield (24 August) at the ANU School of Music.

Visit: www.scienceweek.net.au

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog