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Continuing with our Curiosity Built the Boilerhous

Continuing with our Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse Podcast series, our 25 minute interviews with leaders in education, science engagement, future thinking, early childhood and all things STEAM.

Jackie Randles has recently stepped down as the NSW Manager of Inspiring Australia, a government backed initiative to create meaningful connections between scientists and society. Often this takes the form of science themed events that invite communities to come along, learn about science, meet a real scientist and get to know what real science is like. In this 2021 interview we talk about Jackie’s working bringing together Regional Science Hubs, groups of individuals and organisations that work together to present science events to regional communities across NSW.

We wish Jackie every success in her new chapter and thank her for her enormous contribution in bringing science and people together in NSW.

Link here: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/06/06/jackie-randles-and-inspiring-australia/

UNE’s Natural History Museum is once again open

UNE’s Natural History Museum is once again open to the public.

All visitors must abide by UNE’s current COVID conditions which is to wear a mask, and we recommend visitors hand sanitise on arrival (sanitiser on-site).

Museum opening hours are Mon-Fri 9:30am-4:30pm. More information about the museum and directions to Building W077 are on the website: www.unenaturalhistorymuseum.org.au

We look forward to seeing you!

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - 𝗥𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗸𝗮𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗟𝗮𝗯

Rebekah Collins is the manager of Queensland Museum's SparkLab, a hands-on interactive science centre that invites visitors to explore, experiment, and learn through self-guided experiences. In this interview we talk about how Rebekah and her team went about designing SparkLab from scratch, and how they decided what kind of experiences they wanted visitors to have. We also talk about the challenges of running a hands-on science centre in a post-pandemic world where cleanliness and sanitisation is a constant concern.

To find out more and listen to the podcast, head to: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/06/20/rebekah-collins-and-sparklab/

A 🌸and a 🐝 First sunny day for a while! Tha

A 🌸and a 🐝

First sunny day for a while! That moment when a faint fluttering catches your eye and you spot a busy bee doing its bee-thing in a perfect purplish-pink poppy. Keeping Curious. Always Amazed. 💞

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Kathy Stubberfield founded Twisted Science, or the Scientwists as it was known then, back in 2005, doing kids science shows. Fifteen years later Twisted Science has a science centre in Echuca in regional Victoria, and is now expanding its horizons and opening a new science centre in Melbourne. Laura Snow, the Operations Manager of Twisted Science in Echuca, oversees the management of their custom designed interactive science centre. In this interview we chat about the importance of bringing science education to under-served regional communities and the challenges of communicating complex science to diverse communities.

To find out more and listen to the podcast, head to: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/05/15/kathy-stubberfield-and-laura-snow-on-twisted-science/

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - 𝗝𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗻

Jared Wilkins is the Senior Manager of National Programs at Questacon, Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre. In this interview we chat about how Questacon’s programs extend far beyond the building itself and include nationwide touring shows and experiences including the Shell Questacon Science Circus and the Questacon Invention Convention. We also talk about how their diverse programs and activities can form life-long relationships between Questacon and the communities they support.

To find out more and listen to the podcast, head to: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/05/02/jared-wilkins-and-questacon/

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - Dʀ Kʀɪsᴛɪɴ Aʟғᴏʀᴅ, Director of the Museum of Discovery at the University of South Australia

The Museum of Discovery is a future focused museum that tackles some of the biggest issues facing society. In this interview we talk with the Director, Dr Kristin Alford about how the museum’s immersive experiences come to life by bringing together science, art and storytelling. We also talk about how the Museum acts as a vibrant conduit between the University of South Australia and the general public.

To find out more and listen to the podcast, head to: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/03/22/dr-kristin-alford-and-the-museum-of-discovery/

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - interview with Martha Johnson, Early Start Discovery Space

Martha Johnson is the manager of education and experiences at Early Start Discovery Space at the University of Wollongong. Earlier this year, as part of our Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse podcast series, Martha took us on a journey through the Early Start Discovery Space and the experiences waiting for kids and their families inside. We also talked about how parents and teachers can enhance play-based learning by getting involved themselves, and letting kids take the lead, guiding the grown-ups through play.

To find out more and listen to the podcast, head to https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/03/01/martha-johnson-and-the-early-start-discovery-space/

Aᴅᴀᴍ Sᴇʟʟɪɴɢᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ Cʜɪʟᴅ

Aᴅᴀᴍ Sᴇʟʟɪɴɢᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ Cʜɪʟᴅʀᴇɴ's Dɪsᴄᴏᴠᴇʀʏ

Adam Sellinger is the Director of Children’ Discovery, an organisation dedicated to bringing playful learning experiences to children and their families across Australia. James O'Hanlon interviewed him earlier this year as part of our Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse podcast series. Children’s Discovery began with a mission to build an immersive children’s museum which eventually transpired with the construction of Early Start Discovery Space at the University of Wollongong.

What makes for a great play-space experience, and how do you design interactive kids’ activities? Head to the link to listen to Adam's insights: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/02/22/adam-sellinger-and-childrens-discovery/

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ -📏ᴀɴ Aʀᴄʜɪᴛᴇᴄᴛ's ᴘᴇʀsᴘᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ

Stephen Long is the Principal Architect for the Boilerhouse Discovery Space. He and his colleagues at Architectus, along with their partner James Cubitt Architects, will be bringing this state of the art discovery space to reality. In this interview we talk about how Stephen and his team will be turning a decommissioned industrial building into an inspiring play space for kids in Armidale, regional NSW. We also talk about how architects work and collaborate to bring their clients’ visions to life.

Head to the following link to listen to Stephen Long in conversation: https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/02/15/stephen-long-and-architectus/

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ

𝗖ᴜʀɪᴏ𝘀ɪᴛʏ 𝗕ᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ 𝗕ᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜ𝘀ᴇ 𝗣ᴏᴅᴄᴀ𝘀ᴛ - 🍂Nᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ-ᴘʟᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ Pʟᴀʏ-ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ

Dr Sue Elliott is a Senior Lecturer at the University of New England and specialises in early childhood education practices. In this interview we talk about how education is embracing practices like nature-play and play-based learning. This represents a shift away from previous tendencies to “cotton-wool” kids and protect them from any and all risks. Research is showing that the desire to protect kids from experiencing risk may be doing more harm than good in the long run.

Head to the following link to listen to Dr Sue Elliott in conversation https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/2021/02/08/dr-sue-elliott-on-early-childhood-education/

🎤 Have you listened to our podcast, Cᴜʀɪᴏ

🎤 Have you listened to our podcast, Cᴜʀɪᴏsɪᴛʏ Bᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ Bᴏɪʟᴇʀʜᴏᴜsᴇ?

Our podcast follows the journey of a decommissioned industrial building at UNE, the old Boilerhouse, being rebuilt into a children’s discovery space. Each episode features an interview with experts in education, STEAM, play-based learning, architecture, design and more! If you are interested in early childhood education, play space design, science centres and children’s museums then this is the podcast for you!

Head to https://uneboilerhouse.org.au/podcast/ to read a little about each of our 22 podcasts and find out more about the Boilerhouse journey .

To listen and follow our journey, search ‘Curiosity Built the Boilerhouse’ on your favourite podcast app – we’ re on Apple Podcasts, Podbean, Google and Spotify.

Tᴏᴅᴀʏ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴄᴇʟᴇʙʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ Wᴏʀʟᴅ Cᴏᴛᴛᴏɴ Dᴀʏ!
This morning we woke up in cotton sheets, put on our cotton shirts and cotton jeans, cooked up some breakfast in cotton seed oil, and after digging up UNE Discovery's soiled cotton undies we need to go wash our hands with cotton soap! Take a moment today to appreciate all the cotton in your life.

🌱Plants, Poop 💩 and Pollinators 🐝 and Cre

🌱Plants, Poop 💩 and Pollinators 🐝 and Creative Chemistry 🧑‍🔬 with Westdale Public School today.

We were pretty excited to jump into term 4 online with Westdale kindergarten today! Some technical difficulties called for creative thinking - the kindergarteners were all over Thumbs Up 👍 Thumbs Down 👎. And while we weren't always able to hear their squeals of delight, we certainly saw them! 🤗

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝟑𝐃 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

For many people, 3D printing is a fantastic, almost science fiction type of futuristic technology hidden out of reach in engineering labs and TV prop studios.

But what if it wasn’t? What if it was available to you, right now?

3D printing is becoming increasingly accessible to the everyday person, with some hobby printers retailing for as little as $300. So how do they work, and what are they capable of?
Head to the link to read more from Discovery Voyager's Dr Kieran Meaney http://ow.ly/lwyu50GhzMt

So how can you give 3D printing a try? Thanks for asking! The Armidale CoLab project, a collaboration between UNE Discovery, Armidale City Public School, Armidale Regional Council and Settlement Services Australia has got 3D printers for you to learn!

🌚𝐀 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧…🐜🐛🐞

𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵? Well here is a simple way to find out, and sample some of the biodiversity at your patch! Pitfall traps are commonly used by researchers to sample invertebrates and can range from a simple container buried in the ground, to more elaborate baited traps. For our garden survey, you can use a simple jam jar, or plastic container that is around 10cm in diameter.
Find a spot in the garden and bury your container up to its rim. Leave your trap overnight. Crawling insects and invertebrates will fall into the jar and stay trapped until the morning. Empty your catch into a bucket or tray (white buckets/trays are best so you can see things clearly). Be careful of any stinging insects or spiders that may have been caught – let them go straight away. How many different types of creepy crawlies did you catch? What jobs do you think they could be doing in your garden? Did you catch a lot or only a few? Could the numbers be related to the overnight weather?
You can also set your pitfall traps throughout the day, but be mindful not to leave animals in the traps for too long because they may get too hot in the sun.

🟢🟢 𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗪𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗧 𝗔 𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗬𝗢𝗨? 🟢🟢

Did you know you can access our our interactive online games via our website? We'd love you to explore what we have on offer and let us know how you go! 🪐🔎🐷

Here's a sneak peek at what you'll find at: https://www.unediscoveryvoyager.org.au/games/

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀?

We've got you covered! Head to our YouTube channel and you'll find all of our Science Play videos in one place!

🍓Strawberry DNA Extraction; 🌈Cabbage pH Indicator; 💠Create your own Crystals; 🐔Create your own Clucking Chicken Cup; ⚡Bending Light; 🍫Chocolate Wavelengths....and much more!

You'll find all of these activities in our Curiosity Series Playlist at: http://ow.ly/JY1450GcDPy

📹🤠🔨𝗥𝗲-𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 - 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲!

Do you have an interest in rocks? Our resident rock expert, Gᴇᴏʀɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Gᴇᴏʟᴏɢɪsᴛ, LOVES rocks. If you have an interest in how different rocks were formed, head to our YouTube channel, where you'll find 19 videos of George (a.k.a. Dr Kieran Meaney) sharing his expertise, on location.

UNE Discovery YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOW4EtFFGpqUU445m7fcNYw

🐤𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴?

And did you know there are 10 species of fairywren? Here in the New England we have at least 4 species: Superb Fairywren, Splendid Fairywren, Variegated Fairywren and White-winged Fairywren. Check out all ten species here: http://ow.ly/RIMD50G9nco

Looking for a fun, interesting and worthwhile project for the school holidays? The ongoing 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, launched in August 2018, encourages citizen scientist partners across Australia to help collect observations of fairywrens and their plumages. Whether you’re a serious twitcher (birdwatcher) or enjoy seeing fairywrens in your garden, your observations help. Head here for all the information you need to be involved in the project: https://fairywrenproject.org/

If you manage to take a photo of one of these quick-moving little creatures, we'd love you to share them with us!

📷 Dᴇᴀɴ Iɴɢᴡᴇʀsᴇɴ: Mᴀʟᴇ Sᴜᴘᴇʀʙ Fᴀɪʀʏ-ᴡʀᴇɴ

🐢🦉🐅 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧'𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗡𝗔𝗠𝗘?

Why do scientists give each species a name that is made up of two parts and uses strange words? There is a very good reason for it! Scientific names allow us to specify exactly what organism we are talking about, and to see where it fits into the classification of living things. The words used to name a species are usually derived from Latin, and sometimes Greek or other languages, and can describe something about the way the organism looks or lives (e.g. where it lives, what it eats).

Follow along here (http://ow.ly/ISeq50G8yty) as Jean explains how we classify living things, and how and why we name organisms using some fun examples.
You and your students can also brush up on your scientific naming skills by creating some animals of your own in our Living Latin online games:
http://ow.ly/Bbu350G8ytv
http://ow.ly/ow8P50G8ytt

🦜🐦 BIG CITY BIRDS Cɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ Sᴄɪᴇ

🦜🐦 BIG CITY BIRDS Cɪᴛɪᴢᴇɴ Sᴄɪᴇɴᴄᴇ Pʀᴏᴊᴇᴄᴛ

You could help scientists to understand how birds have adapted to urban environments by getting involved in the Big City Birds citizen science project. The project focuses on five bird species that have been observed adapting to human modified areas (e.g. cities and farms).... the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Australian Brush-turkey, Australian White Ibis, Little Corella, and Long-billed Corella.

You don’t have to live in a big city to get involved – observations can be submitted from all over Australia! Citizen scientists can report their sightings using the Big City Birds app or website. Your collected information will help researchers to understand the behavioural traits that have allowed some species to adapt to city living.

To find out more, visit:
http://ow.ly/BUoK50G4BtE
http://ow.ly/tikS50G4BtG

📷 Willem van Aken, CSIRO Science Image Database

🚚 🤩💉And there she is in Glen Innes yester

🚚 🤩💉And there she is in Glen Innes yesterday, our Suzi, the UNE Discovery Voyager truck.

Such brilliant work being carried out by the UNE Medical Centre, nurses, UNE life staff and the regional communities to help get our communities vaccinated against Covid-19 ... thank you!

📷 Simon Scott Photo
#UNE Life #Adam Marshall MP

Dear friends, This lockdown business can be a bit

Dear friends,
This lockdown business can be a bit tricky and tedious. We hope you're doing OK. We miss visiting you at school but hope you are finding our posts helpful and you are discovering some fun ways to play science at home. That's a wrap for this week. Keep an eye out for us next week. We think you'll find Monday's experiment pretty cool - here's some clues....🐍🔥☕🖤

💚 The UNE Discovery Voyager Team

P.S. We'd love to hear how things are going for you.

💛 Happy National Wattle day! How many differen

💛 Happy National Wattle day!
How many different species can you spot in your neighbourhood?
This species we've identified as 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘴 (knife-leaf wattle, dogtooth wattle, half-moon wattle or golden-glow wattle). 🌿 🧐