This year’s World Science Festival Brisbane is now in full swing, connecting Queenslanders with the wonders of science.
At today’s opening of World Science Festival Brisbane, Minister for Science and the Arts Leeanne Enoch said this year’s festival has an amazing line-up of events and activities including baby turtles, space, Antarctica and stargazing.
“Now in its fourth big year, World Science Festival Brisbane explores all aspects of science, offering inspiring experiences, hands-on opportunities and thought-provoking conversations,” Minister Enoch said.
“Experts from around the globe will discuss endangered species and de-extinction; our future on Mars and the medical impacts of gene sequencing.”
Minister Enoch said the Cultural Centre would come alive with more than 80 individual events, including the two-day Street Science! free outdoor extravaganza, the Festival Lab and The Hatchery – Turtle Conservation where visitors can see baby turtles hatching.
“About 70 eggs will be hatching over the course of World Science Festival, giving people a rare glimpse into the hatching process,” Ms Enoch said.
“With support from the Palaszczuk Government, the Queensland Museum secured World Science Festival Brisbane for Queensland since the inaugural festival in 2016, with an exclusive six-year licence in place through to 2021,” she said.
“This is the only festival of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region and helps enhance Queensland’s international profile as a leader in science, technology, engineering and maths.
“Along with the Brisbane event, the Festival has also been presented in Gladstone, Townsville and Ipswich with Toowoomba (22–23 March) and Chinchilla (29–30 March) still to take place,” Minister Enoch said.
“Last year the festival attracted more than 200,000 people and delivered more than 100 events across the six locations – Chinchilla, Gladstone, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Brisbane and Townsville.
“This year promises to deliver another great festival celebrating all that science has to offer.”
As part of the opening, Minister Enoch announced St Thomas More School from Sunshine Beach as the inaugural winner of The Hatchery Crusaders competition.
“The Hatchery is a signature event of World Science Festival Brisbane, helping to raise awareness about Queensland-based turtle research, ocean pollution and the plight of marine turtles,” she said.
“The Hatchery Crusaders builds on this awareness with schools invited to collect plastic debris from nearby waterways and produce artwork reflecting their learnings about plastic pollution and its impact on marine life,” Minister Enoch said.
“More than 40 schools from around Queensland entered the competition, and I was pleased to see their high level of understanding about the impact plastic has on the environment and marine life.”
Queensland Museum Chief Executive Officer, Dr Jim Thompson, said the Turtle Hatchery Crusaders artwork entered into the competition would be on display at Queensland Museum during World Science Festival Brisbane.
“Brisbane’s Cultural Centre will be a hive of activity with the 2019 program shaping up to be one of the biggest and most exciting so far,” Dr Thompson said.
“The festival will focus on brave new ideas as we discuss the challenges confronting humankind in the face of over-population and escalating climate change, which is one of our most exciting, ambitious and undeniably important themes to date,” Dr Thompson said.
World Science Festival Brisbane will run from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 March 2019.
View the full festival program, participants list and purchase tickets at .
