National Science Week
Encyclopedia
National Science Week refers to series of science-related events for the general public which are held in a specific countries during a designated week of the year. The aim of such science weeks is to engage and inspire people of all ages with science, engineering and technology.
Australia's National Science Week is held annually in August, funded through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science and Research. National Science Week welcomes an audience of over a million and hosts more than 1000 events across the nation. Science Week provides an opportunity for all Australians to participate in events and activities that showcase science and encourages younger people to consider continuing studies in science. A driving force of this annual event is the National Tour. Past National Tour guests have included Arctic explorer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis
, NASA Astronaut Katherine Megan McArthur; environmentalist Tanya Ha; theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss; and palaeontologist Scott Sampson. Another key activity during National Science Week is the National Project, which is run in conjunction with the ABC Australia. Past project have included the Big Sleep Survey in 2010 and the Aussie Star Hunt in 2010. Also in 2009 Cosmos Magazine launched a website called HELLO FROM EARTH
which collected over 28,000 messages which were beamed to the first earth like planet candidate, Gliese 581d.
Britain's National Science Week was first held in 1994 and is now known as National Science and Engineering Week - it is one of the largest national celebrations of science. It is organised by the British Science Association in partnership with EngineeringUK
and funded by BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills). National Science and Engineering Week is a massive UK-wide grassroots celebration of science which saw 1.5-2 million people taking part in over 4000 events and activities throughout the UK in 2010, with a large number of people, public centers and organisations taking part in, and organising, a vast array of special events across the country. In 2011, National Science and Engineering Week takes place 11-20 March with the theme of 'Communication'.
In India
, Science Week culminates in National Science Day, which takes place each year on 28 February to commemorate C. V. Raman's discovery of the Raman Effect
. Australia
's National Science Week was first held in 1997, and traditionally takes place in August.
In the United States
, the National Science & Technology Week was one of the National Science Foundation
's main outreach efforts between 1985 and 1999, before the program was succeeded by Find Out Why, a year-long outreach effort focused on families, offering everyday science activities. The idea was revisited in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in collaboration with other government and scientific partners, with an "Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (ESTEME) Week."
Other national science weeks include the Norwegian
Forskningsdagene ("Research Days"), Canada
s National Science & Technology Week, the South Africa
n National Science Week, and China
's National Science Week launched in May 2006. On an international level, the European Union
has held union-wide science weeks between 2000 and 2006.
Australia's National Science Week is held annually in August, funded through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science and Research. National Science Week welcomes an audience of over a million and hosts more than 1000 events across the nation. Science Week provides an opportunity for all Australians to participate in events and activities that showcase science and encourages younger people to consider continuing studies in science. A driving force of this annual event is the National Tour. Past National Tour guests have included Arctic explorer and environmental scientist Tim Jarvis
Tim Jarvis
Tim Jarvis, AM is an environmental scientist, adventurer and author with Masters qualifications in environmental science and environmental law, and is a Senior Associate – Sustainability at Arup. His environmental work is mainly focused on sustainable aid provision in developing countries and...
, NASA Astronaut Katherine Megan McArthur; environmentalist Tanya Ha; theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss; and palaeontologist Scott Sampson. Another key activity during National Science Week is the National Project, which is run in conjunction with the ABC Australia. Past project have included the Big Sleep Survey in 2010 and the Aussie Star Hunt in 2010. Also in 2009 Cosmos Magazine launched a website called HELLO FROM EARTH
Hello From Earth
HELLO FROM EARTH is an Interstellar Radio Message . It was sent from the 70-meter dish at NASA Deep Space Station 43 , at midday on Friday 28 August 2009...
which collected over 28,000 messages which were beamed to the first earth like planet candidate, Gliese 581d.
Britain's National Science Week was first held in 1994 and is now known as National Science and Engineering Week - it is one of the largest national celebrations of science. It is organised by the British Science Association in partnership with EngineeringUK
EngineeringUK
EngineeringUK, formerly the Engineering and Technology Board , is an independent, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote the contribution that engineers, and engineering and technology, make to society...
and funded by BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills). National Science and Engineering Week is a massive UK-wide grassroots celebration of science which saw 1.5-2 million people taking part in over 4000 events and activities throughout the UK in 2010, with a large number of people, public centers and organisations taking part in, and organising, a vast array of special events across the country. In 2011, National Science and Engineering Week takes place 11-20 March with the theme of 'Communication'.
In India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Science Week culminates in National Science Day, which takes place each year on 28 February to commemorate C. V. Raman's discovery of the Raman Effect
Raman scattering
Raman scattering or the Raman effect is the inelastic scattering of a photon. It was discovered by Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman and Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan in liquids, and by Grigory Landsberg and Leonid Mandelstam in crystals....
. Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's National Science Week was first held in 1997, and traditionally takes place in August.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the National Science & Technology Week was one of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
's main outreach efforts between 1985 and 1999, before the program was succeeded by Find Out Why, a year-long outreach effort focused on families, offering everyday science activities. The idea was revisited in 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in collaboration with other government and scientific partners, with an "Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (ESTEME) Week."
Other national science weeks include the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
Forskningsdagene ("Research Days"), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
s National Science & Technology Week, the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n National Science Week, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's National Science Week launched in May 2006. On an international level, the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
has held union-wide science weeks between 2000 and 2006.
External links
- Australian National Science Week
- The UK's National Science and Engineering Week
- Canada's National Science & Technology Week
- China's National Science Week
- European Science Week
- Indian Science Week and Science Day
- Forskningsdagene (Norway)
- South Africa's National Science Week
- The Big Bang - UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair
- United States' National Science & Technology Week
- U.S. Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (ESTEME) Week 2005
- Science Week Ireland