Tag: Science Week

Legends but not rock stars

Last night at the official launch of National Science Week 2008 I was excited to speak to some fascinating people: Dr Luke Hunter, big cat conservationist; Shane Gould, Olympic swimming medallist and expert in new swimming techniques; and the likely lads of the Great Big Science Gig, comedy rock science cabaret artists. (Those boys rock, don’t miss ’em if you can make it to their show.)

But perhaps the two most exciting people I talked to were Simon Pampena, of The Angry Mathematician and the Maths Olympics fame, and Rob Morrison, one of the two presenters of Australia’s best-loved science show, The Curiosity Show. Here’s a photo of the three of us:

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Rob has so many fascinating things to say that I hope I can bring you the full interview, but a couple of his ideas really struck home with me. He believes that we don’t have to get children interested in science; rather all children are interested in science, but are turned off it by bad teaching, a lack of exposure, or peer pressure. He pointed to popular media as the prime example: every newspaper has a devoted Sports section, a devoted Arts section, and is full of news on politics; a person’s interests in such things are constantly reinforced, and on television too. But someone interested in science is lucky if their newspaper has a devoted science journalist, let alone a separate science section. Even if there is – and most are weekly, if they exist at all – it’s generally lumped in with and dominated by Technology, which is not the same thing at all. So his role was to be some guy on television saying “hey, it’s cool to be into science, I’m into it too”. Read more

T-0: Science Week launches tonight!

Yes, National Science Week 2008 officially launches tonight at the MCG right here in Melbourne, and of course your intrepid Planet Nerd science reporter and all-round science fan, Ben McKenzie, will be right there in the thick of it. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have some photos and stories to share with you, and in the near future even some video of interviews with the stars of Australian science.

Of course I have a few events of my own during Science Week; here’s a quick reminder:

  • – my new comedy science lecture at the Royal Society of Victoria, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of that great unread classic of popular science literature: Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. It’s on the last few days of Science Week – Friday, August 22 is a special matinee, free for schools, and there are two evening performances on the 23rd and 24th. The Historic Theatre is a beautiful venue, but not very big, so be sure to book! Details are .
  • Not the Nobel Prize – Melbourne Museum’s comedy panel show returns for a third year! See me and three other comedians – Courteney Hocking, Sam Simmons and Charlie Pickering – try and sort fact from fiction in the stories presented by four actual, qualified scientists! This usually sells out, so make sure you book your tickets! Details are here.

Also during Science Week, but not part of it, are a few other projects of mine:

  • The Anarchist Guild Social Committee meeting #3 – Melbourne’s newest comedy sensation, a live sketch comedy show at the Bella Union, Trades Hall, on the third Sunday of every month. It features yours truly as a writer and performer, and always fills to capacity. Details here.
  • Set List preview season – an all-new improvised music comedy show premiering at Fringe, but you can catch an early preview at The Butterfly Club from August 21 to 24. I’ll be performing in the first show on Thursday, August 21. Details here.
  • Impro Sundae – top-notch improvised comedy with The Crew, second and fourth Sunday every month, also at the Bella Union. Details here.

The Man returns for National Science Week!

Ben McKenzie, the Man in the Lab Coat, makes two appearances in August for National Science Week!

First, he returns to Melbourne Museum for Not the Nobel Prize on Friday, August 22. Following on from last year’s hit show, Ben will join fellow a panel of fellow comedians as they pit their wits against actual scientists to sort science fact from science fiction.

And, from August 22 to 24, Ben launches a new show, A Brief History of A Brief History of Time, at the Royal Society of Victoria. He’ll prove you don’t need 12 degrees to understand Stephen Hawking’s great unread classic, A Brief History of Time.

Check out the show page for more details, and visit the National Science Week web site to see what else is happening in Melbourne and all round Australia.

Not the Nobel Prize!

It’s been a while, I know; the web site is undergoing a redesign behind the scenes, which is why things have been a bit quiet there. But I had to let you know about an upcoming gig at the Melbourne Museum for Science Week!

Yes, science week is only a week away, and on Friday, August 24, the Museum celebrates in uniquely Melbourne style with “Not the Nobel Prize”. Four scientists will present their theories – but only two of them are presenting real science! A panel of comedians, consisting of Tommy Dean, Claire Hooper, Sue-Ann Post and yours truly, will have to figure out which is which.

Personally, I think I have an unfair advantage…

Tickets are $12/$10, and the show kicks off at 7pm. You need to book, and the number to call is 13 11 02. There’s an unconfirmed second show at 9pm on the same evening, which likely will depend on numbers.

For more info, check out the Museum’s web site or head to the Comedy Festival site’s gig guide.

And don’t forget, there are still a few more weeks of the Channel 31 programming featuring me! You can catch Planet Nerd on Thursdays at 10pm, and TheatreGames LIVE on Fridays at 10pm.

Until next week, keep your Ockham’s razor nice and sharp!