Categories: News

Science Street Fair to offer hands-on experience for families

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1361" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;03&sol;SND13-WK3-&lowbar;MOTAT&lowbar;2014&lowbar;300x225&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND13-WK3- MOTAT 2014 300x225" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"225" &sol;>Children and their parents are invited to interact with leading Kiwi scientists and learn more about the science behind super bugs&comma; creatures that glow in the dark&comma; lasers&comma; forensics and much more at MOTAT&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The streets of MOTAT will become a hive of scientific activity on Sunday&comma; March 29 from 10am to 4pm when the museum hosts its second Science Street Fair in partnership with the University of Auckland&comma; the NZ Association of Scientists and other experts in this field&period; This family-focused event offers visitors a hands-on learning experience and the unique opportunity to meet local scientists who are expanding scientific boundaries&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Science Street Fair showcases the museum&&num;8217&semi;s commitment to focus on Kiwi technology and ingenuity in a creative way to educate and inspire visitors so that they go on to become the innovators of tomorrow&comma;&&num;8221&semi; MOTAT CEO Michael Frawley said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>He described the fair as &&num;8220&semi;a wide variety of exhibits where kids will be encouraged to interact with the experiments and inventions while asking questions of the experts on hand&&num;8221&semi;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We want them to become excited about science and its possibilities&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Well-known for her distinctive pink hair and enthusiasm for super bugs and bioluminescence &lpar;or creatures which glow in the dark&excl;&rpar;&comma; Dr Siouxsi Wiles will be at the fair sharing her passion for microbiology and creatures such as glow worms and fireflies&period; Recipient of the Prime Minister&&num;8217&semi;s Science Media Communication Prize in 2013&comma; Dr Wiles is an expert in dispelling the myths that science is irrelevant&comma; boring or too hard to understand&period; Visitors can have their picture taken by the light of glowing bacteria in a photo booth with a difference as well as draw their own masterpiece using nothing more than a cotton swab&comma; a solution of harmless glowing bacteria and a petri dish&period; It will take the bacteria a day to grow before the art becomes visible&comma; but photos will be uploaded for the budding artists to share with their friends online&period; Suitable for ages five to 99&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Photon Factory&comma; the state-of-the-art research facility specialising in ultra-fast lasers based at the University of Auckland will be at the Science Street Fair explaining the importance of their work and inspiring the next generation of young scientists&period; Visitors can expect to be fascinated by glow-in-the-dark slimes to learn what molecules&comma; like the ones that make leaves green or blood red&comma; may do after absorbing light&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>2015 is the International Year of Light and in celebration&comma; the team will host an array of activities and demonstrations involving lasers – including a laser maze&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Visitors to the Science Street Fair will also have the opportunity to see MOTAT&&num;8217&semi;s Differential Analyser in action&period; Built partly from Meccano&comma; this fascinating mechanical analogue computer is designed to solve equations and was one of the first computers in operation back in 1935&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;We are thrilled to be hosting such high-calibre scientists at MOTAT&period; They are all passionate about their subject and have fantastic knowledge to share with our visitors&comma;&&num;8221&semi; Mr Frawley said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Along with several other scientists from Massey&comma; Canterbury and Auckland universities&comma; the following organisations will also be in attendance&colon; Early Learning Lab&comma; Zombiebots&comma; MindKits&comma; DiamondAge and the Association for Women in the Sciences&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Date&colon; Sunday&comma; March 29&comma; 2015 Time&colon; 10am – 4 pm<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>MOTAT&colon; 805 Great North Road&comma; Western Springs&comma; Auckland<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;motat&period;org&period;nz" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">www&period;motat&period;org&period;nz<&sol;a>&nbsp&semi;<br &sol;><&sol;strong><br &sol;>Normal MOTAT entry fees apply&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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