Register for the UniSC Science, Technology and Engineering Showcase
Discover incredible science behind the biomechanics of sprinting lizards to the design of future robots. To coincide with National Science Week, UniSC is inviting teachers, students and their families to a drop-in style STEM showcase.
When: Tuesday 18 August, 4.30;–7.30pm
Where: Auditorium, UniSC Innovation, UniSC Sunshine Coast campus
Get hands-on with interactive STEM experiences, meet with STEM staff and researchers, and explore the advanced technologies and research equipment driving real-world discoveries at UniSC.
Students can also find out how to study university level STEM subjects as early as Year 10 through UniSC’s Headstart program.
Program
4.30–5.30pm: Showcase for Grades 7–9
Discover how scientists track animals they can't see, uncover the secrets inside beehives, and use clues from skulls and bones to work out how animals live. Meet conservation dogs that help protect wildlife, explore live aquatic animals under the microscope, and see how sensors and coding can turn an ordinary house into a smart home. Get hands-on with real specimens, scientific equipment and interactive technology.
5.30–6pm: Keynote presentation and discussion (all ages)
The World’s Fastest Spider: What animal movement can teach us about the future
Associate Professor Chris Clemente, PhD
How fast can a spider really run? Why do some animals sprint, climb, glide or swim better than others? Join UniSC biomechanist Associate Professor Chris Clemente to explore the science of animal movement and discover how researchers use cutting-edge technology to answer some of nature’s most fascinating questions. Drawing on research ranging from lightning-fast huntsman spiders to lizards, kangaroos and climbing robots, Chris will reveal how understanding the way animals move is inspiring innovations in robotics, engineering and conservation.
6–6.30pm: Light refreshments
6.30–7.30pm: Showcase for Grades 10–12
Explore the science behind the discoveries. Learn how scientists use DNA to detect a single species amongst thousands of genetic signatures, investigate how researchers test whether bee products can improve human health, and discover how technologies such as 3D scanning, automated testing systems and environmental monitoring are helping solve real-world challenges. Meet researchers, explore cutting-edge STEM research, and learn where university study and STEM careers can take you.
Showcase stands
Build a smart lighting/home system with IoT
Experience the core ideas behind smart homes and Internet of Things (IoT) technology through a fun and hands-on demonstration. Learn how computers interact with physical devices through sensors, programming and GPIO, while recording each event in real time.
Related programs: Bachelor of Computer Science
The science of bee products: From hive to human health
Step into the fascinating world of bees and discover how their remarkable products contribute to science, nutrition and human wellbeing. Explore real beehive materials, honey, bee pollen, propolis and other bee-derived products while learning how researchers investigate their biological properties and potential health benefits.
- Earlier Showcase: Inside the Beehive – Where Do Bee Products Come From?
- Later Showcase: Can Bee Products Improve Health? How Do Scientists Find Out?
Related programs: Bachelor of Science (Chemistry)
Robots in the wild: Rapid DNA testing for conservation and agriculture
Discover our automated PCR testing robots and see how cutting-edge biotechnology is being used to detect platypus environmental DNA (eDNA) in waterways and monitor animal health by testing for diseases in piggeries – delivering fast, accurate results in the field and on-farm.
- Earlier Showcase: How can you find an animal without seeing it?
- Later Showcase: Needle in a haystack – how does a DNA test find one organism amongst thousands of DNA signatures?
Related programs: Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology major)
Be an invertebrate scientist AND a molecular biologist
Explore live aquatic animals, microscopes and specimens, then step into the lab to use pipettes and discover how DNA and RNA help scientists understand growth, development and reproduction. Experience biotechnology from the whole organism down to the molecular level.
Invertebrate Scientist: Explore a range of live and preserved aquatic invertebrates, including crayfish, freshwater prawns and other marine species. Compare male and female crayfish, examine crustacean specimens, and observe tiny Artemia under a dissecting microscope. See larval stages such as phyllosoma up close, learn about animal feeding and behaviour, and watch videos showing fascinating processes such as moulting and swimming. Discover how scientists study invertebrates to better understand their growth, development and biology.
Molecular Biologist: Learn how scientists use molecular biology to investigate what is happening inside an animal. Explore the journey from DNA to RNA to protein, view real research posters featuring embryo transcriptomics and other biotechnology projects, and see laboratory equipment commonly used in biological research. Take part in a hands-on pipetting activity using simulated crayfish samples to investigate which animal is preparing to moult, and discover how molecular techniques help scientists answer questions about growth, development and reproduction.
Related programs: Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology), Bachelor of Animal Ecology
The future of seafood: From farms to cells
How will we feed a growing population while protecting our oceans? Discover how scientists are reimagining the seafood of the future through sustainable aquaculture, plant-based alternatives and cultivated seafood. Explore real crustacean specimens and muscle tissue under the microscope, learn how artificial intelligence is helping improve aquaculture production, and test your knowledge in an interactive challenge to identify traditional, plant-based and cultivated seafood products.
Related programs: Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology major)
Marine and terrestrial ecology
Explore the fascinating world of wildlife science through shark jaws and ecological specimens, and chat with research students about their undergraduate journeys and current marine and terrestrial ecology research projects.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology
Moving like animals: Biomechanics and bio-inspired robotics
Discover how scientists study animal movement using real skulls and bones, 3D scanning, and robotic animals. Explore how animals run, climb, fly and swim, and see how their remarkable adaptations inspire new technologies in robotics, engineering, conservation and bio-hybrid design.
Earlier Showcase – Bones and Skulls: Become an animal detective by examining real skulls, bones and other specimens. Learn how features such as teeth, jaws, limbs and body shape reveal what an animal eats, how it moves and where it lives.
Later Showcase – 3D Scanning: See a handheld 3D scanner create detailed digital models of skulls and bones in real time. Discover how researchers use 3D technology to measure specimens, preserve museum collections, study animal form and design bio-inspired robots.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology
Unveiling the secretive lives of a lesser-known seabird, the Red-tailed Tropicbird
Meet a seabird researcher and discover the fascinating world of tropicbirds – ocean-going birds that spend much of their lives soaring over tropical seas. Learn how scientists track their movements, study their behaviour, genetics and breeding ecology, and use this knowledge to help protect these remarkable birds and the marine environments they call home.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology
Bats under the radar: Discover the hidden world of microbats
Meet a bat researcher and discover the fascinating world of Australia’s insect-eating microbats. Learn how scientists study where bats live, how they adapt to growing cities, and why these tiny night-time hunters play a vital role in ecosystems by consuming hundreds of insects every night.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology
Conservation canines: Dogs on a mission
Meet the amazing detection dogs & scientists helping to protect Australia’s wildlife. Learn how specially trained conservation dogs use their incredible sense of smell to locate koalas and other elusive species, helping researchers monitor wildlife populations, collect scientific data and support conservation efforts across Australia.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology
Maps, wildlife and wetlands
How do scientists map habitats, track wildlife and monitor environmental change? Explore research from the Blue Heart project and discover how Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing technologies and specialist field equipment are used to study biodiversity and ecosystem health. Learn how these tools are helping researchers better understand, restore and protect the wetlands and waterways of our region.
Related programs: Bachelor of Animal Ecology/Bachelor of Environmental Science
Step into Earth’s “living skin” — the Critical Zone
Almost all life on land lives within the thin ‘skin’ of the Earth’s surface – the Critical Zone – from the bedrock beneath us to the tree canopy above. Discover how researchers measure water, gas and heat exchange, how we measure plants converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, and how moisture and energy changes dictate how ecosystems survive, adapt and transform. See how sensors mounted above and below the ground reveal the hidden movement of water, carbon and pollutants, helping scientists track the effects of climate change, ecosystem recovery and long-term environmental change.
If you’re curious about climate science, environmental monitoring or how we read the signals the Earth sends us, this showcase opens a window into the Critical Zone Observatory – where the planet’s most important processes unfold just below and above the surface.
Related programs: Bachelor of Environmental Science
What am I standing on? How might we measure the earth beneath us?
Almost everything that we build in civilisations (buildings, roads, runways etc.) sits on the ground, but how do we know how strong that ground is, or what’s in the earth beneath our feet? Discover ways in which scientists and engineers might explore the earth beneath us via mechanical or geophysical means.
Related programs: Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) / Bachelor of Environmental Science
Inside manufacturing: Building the technologies we depend on
How do engineers build products that are strong, reliable and safe? Meet manufacturing engineers and discover how metals are joined together, how hidden forces inside materials can be measured, and how advanced technologies help create everything from vehicles and infrastructure to the products we use every day.
Related programs: Engineering
Can you reduce the shake?
What happens when a machine starts shaking at just the wrong frequency? Explore resonance and vibration control using a working vibration absorber. Watch how a small secondary mass can be tuned to reduce vibration from the main structure, dramatically reducing its movement. Discover how engineers use the same principles to control vibration in machines, vehicles, bridges and tall buildings.
Related programs: Engineering
Create, code and explore with MindSET-do
Experience exciting STEM technologies including virtual reality, programmable microdrones and micro:bits. Through interactive challenges, discover how coding and engineering power the technologies of tomorrow, and learn how STEM skills can lead to exciting study and career opportunities.
Related programs: Computer Science, ICT & Engineering
Robots in motion
Explore the exciting world of mechatronics through interactive demonstrations featuring ground robots, robotic arms, sensors and other advanced mechatronic technologies.
Related programs: Engineering
Could flying taxis really work? Engineering the future of flight
Meet the student team designing and building electric vertical take-off aircraft on the Sunshine Coast. Get hands-on with carbon fibre structures, 3D printed parts and a real flight test rig, and find out what it actually takes to get an aircraft off the ground.
Related programs: Engineering
Predicting bushfires with AI, drones and remote sensing
Can we predict where the next bushfire will occur? Explore how artificial intelligence, satellite imagery, drones, LiDAR and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are transforming bushfire research. This showcase follows the journey of this research, from near real-time wildfire monitoring and air quality analysis to active fire detection, machine learning-based wildfire prediction and dynamic fire spread modelling. Visitors will discover how advanced geospatial technologies are helping scientists better understand, predict and manage bushfire risk while protecting ecosystems and communities.
Related programs: Bachelor of Environmental Science
Coastal science from above
Discover how scientists use drones, 3D mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to explore beaches, coral reefs and coastlines. Learn how cutting-edge technologies help researchers monitor environmental change, understand coastal hazards and protect some of our most valuable marine ecosystems.
Related programs: Bachelor of Environmental Science
Robotic Dogs in Action
Discover the exciting world of robotics through interactive demonstrations featuring robotic dogs. See how these agile robots can explore, inspect, and solve real-world engineering challenges.
Related programs: Computer Science, ICT & Engineering
Ready to see where drone technology can take you?
Get hands-on with our Microdrones and explore how this technology is transforming real industries. Put your skills to the test in an exciting challenge that combines flight, innovation and future career possibilities.
Related programs: Computer Science, ICT & Engineering