Podcast: Making friends with fronds TV series SCOPE features Centre work Pint of Science with Centre CI New animation of an illustrative model of the primary plant cell wall Centre CI named as a Supertar in STEM ![]() |
Outreach
The benefits to the Centre from such activities are not limited to our immediate exposure to a wide cross section of the population: participation by Centre students and research scientists contributes to the essential ongoing development of their science communication skills. The activities presented at these outreach events can range from interactive poster-based mechanisms of measuring the degree of community acceptance of GM technologies to more hands-on, practical experiences in demonstrating the difference between fibre content of various breakfast cereals. The programs can involve focussed workshops to small classes such as Get into Genes through to large public events and are usually undertaken in association with other parties. Established in 2004, Get into Genes (GiG) has provided the opportunity for over 12,000 secondary school students to explore the use of gene technology in agriculture. In South Australia, GiG is run from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) at the University of Adelaide’s Waite Research Institute and in Victoria through The Dairy Futures CRC at La Trobe University.
T National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features approximately 1000 events around Australia including those delivered by universities, schools, museums and science centres. In South Australia, the Centre participates in Science Alive, Australia’s largest science expo event with spectacular science and animal shows and a huge range of hands-on fun for all ages. The Centre participates in National Science Week with the ACPFG and TechnYou, a Federal Government supported initiative to help raise community awareness about emerging technologies and associated issues.
Other outreach activities of the Centre involve participation at University and School open days, and larger events such as Royal Shows, commonly in association with the relevant node's host university or faculty. |