Hands-on activities

University Place – all day

Life as you’ve never seen it
See one of the largest snakes in Australia, hold one of the heaviest insects in the world in the palm of your hand, meet one of the most damaging organisms on Earth, and watch (for the first time) plants racing from one place to another. Life on planet Earth is mind-boggling. From genes to gargantuan animals, the world of nature keeps us guessing. Come and see some of life’s incredible displays at the School of Biology stand.

Flying Freezing Floating Physics
Get your hands on some physics! Get charged up, spun around, illuminated, frozen and resonated.

Mathematical problem posters
Prove your mathematical genius by solving the mathematical problems on display.

Discover the powerful world of plants
There is so much DNA in living cells that it is possible to see without a microscope! In this activity you can extract the DNA from a strawberry and learn about recent advances in plant biotechnology.

See the Sun at work
Your chance to see the sun at work – through a telescope! Come and have a look through the School of Physics telescope, set up on the Quadrangle’s front lawn (weather permitting).

Health check-ups
Be in the best health for your HSC and get a healthy start for uni. Visit Sydney Nursing School’s health stand at University Place and our nursing students will give you a quick check-up.

Chemistry Building forecourt – all day

Join in some exciting hands-on chemistry experiments.

Engineering Precinct

Explore engineering – by learning how to build a racing car
Every year students from the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering team up to research, design and manufacture a small, open-wheeled racing car to compete against student teams from universities in Australia and around the world.

Teams are scored on the basis of their design, costing and marketing skills, as well as dynamic qualities of skid pad, acceleration, autocross and endurance. Talk to a member of this year’s Sydney team.

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) demonstration
Have a go at operating a WSN developed by students and staff. Learn how to configure a WSN, transmit sensor data, short text messages, and radio positioning.

Discover biomedical engineering
Visit our tissue engineering and biomaterial labs. See hands-on displays outlining our research and current orthopaedic implant technology, and take a walk through our labs with staff andstudents.

Don’t miss the chance to see our BOSE biomaterials test machine in action. It simulates the wear and tear of biomedical devices in the body, such as hip implants. This means we can find out the longevity of an implant in a much shorter space of time.

For example, a year of walking with a hip replacement can be simulated in two weeks. We have the only BOSE machine in the southern hemisphere.

Optical communications
Discover how light can be used for telecommunications. Watch as audio signals are carried by multiple colours of light and then transmitted via optical fibre. You can even listen to some music in the process.