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Media Release

August 12, 2005

UniSA’s Science at the Lakes – it’s all in the chemistry

It’s not every day you can say you’ve met a winner of the Nobel prize, let alone an English knight – but school children visiting UniSA’s Science at the Lakes will be able to brag for years to come they’ve done that very thing.

And a visit by Professor Sir Harry Kroto – who was awarded the chemistry Nobel Prize for discovering the largest symmetrical carbon containing molecule known to man, commonly called the “buckyball”, in the same year he was knighted – is just one of the many exciting events at this year’s event.

Celebrating National Science Week, Science at the Lakes offers Years 6-10 school students and the general public the chance to see and experience science and technology in action.

For two days, Mawson Lakes will be transformed into an exciting centre of science activities, displays and presentations – from planets and stars to solar and electric cars, wetland and eco centre discovery tours to heaps of hands-on experiments.

Professor Kroto, an advocate of engaging children with science and technology, will speak on Friday 19 August, 12-1pm at the Mawson Centre (MC1-02) when more than 1,000 school children will visit Mawson Lakes campus to soak up some science.

On Sunday August 21 the public can feast on a science smorgasbord of more than 30 things “to see and do” including opportunities to test drive a flight simulator, build a robot, test physical fitness or see how the Mawson Lakes recycled waste water system is helping build a greener future.

Coordinator of Science at the Lakes, Ian Forster, says the event helps increase awareness of the importance of science and technology in day to day life and the future.

“We’re taking science out of the classroom and engaging students through hand’s-on learning – showing them that science is 'sexy', fun and important,” Forster said.

“Special themes were carefully chosen to reflect current issues in society such as sustainability and the natural environment, technology and communications.”

Forster says the event, organised by UniSA and Delfin Lend Lease, also aims to increase awareness of the challenging and rewarding careers that are available in science and technology.

“The diversity now available in science and technology means there’s a growing need for future generations to have a keen interest in pursuing science careers in order to meet the next generation of industry requirements.”

“We look forward to seeing people of all ages come along and enjoy this special National Science Week event and see what is happening in their own backyard.”

UniSA’s Science at the Lakes 2005

For more information visit the website: www.unisa.edu.au/scienceatthelakes

About Professor Sir Harold Kroto

Born in 1939 in Cambridgeshire and brought up in Bolton Lancashire UK, Harold Kroto graduated in Chemistry at the University of Sheffield in 1961. In 1964 he received a PhD from the same institution for his research on the electronic spectra of free radicals produced by flash photolysis.

After two years at the National Research Council in Canada and a year at Bell Laboratories, USA he took up an academic appointment in Chemistry at the University of Sussex in 1967 where he remained until 2004. He is presently Francis Eppes Professor of Chemistry at the Florida State University USA.

In 1996 Professor Kroto was knighted for his contributions to the field of Chemistry and later that year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his co-discovery of C60 Buckminsterfullerene, affectionately known as the Buckyball.

He has also received some thirty honorary degrees from universities around the world as well as several other prestigious awards including:

Sir Harry is an enthusiastic populariser of science, focusing on turning the young people of the world to the joys and value of science in general and in particular encouraging them to take up careers in science and technology. He and co-workers at the Vega Science Trust have created an interactive science website (http://www.vega.org.uk) which is a platform for outstanding scientists and teachers to communicate directly with children of all ages, science teachers and professional scientists as well as interested members of the non-scientific community.

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