12 August 2021 Update: Many of the events planned for Served With a Side of Science have now been postponed or cancelled due to the ACT COVID-19 lockdown. We’ll update this page as soon as possible once we have more information.
Served With a Side of Science: A Canberra Food Festival is a weekend-long, city-wide event celebrating all things science and food as part of National Science Week 2021. No matter your interests or where you live in the ACT, we’ve got a buffet of events and activities on 14-15 August.
Whether it’s a tour of an urban farm, workshops on Indigenous plant use or seed growing, talks about beekeeping, demonstrations on how to reduce food waste, or riveting panel discussions and film screenings, we’ve got you covered! Served With a Side of Science is sure to have something for everyone with both online and in-person events from Tuggeranong through to Gungahlin, so get those brains and taste buds ready!
A food festival you say?
Last year we brought you the out-of-this-world Satellite Selfie event for National Science Week, along with a whole range of space-themed activities and events. In 2021, we thought we’d come back to Earth. The United Nations has declared 2021 both the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables and the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development; so what better theme to focus on than food — its past, its future, how we relate to it, and the science that ties it all together? And what better way to engage our local Canberra community than to come to you with food-related events spread across the ACT? The result is Served with a Side of Science: A Canberra Food Festival. We hope you find it appetising!
What’s so scientific about food?
Lots actually! Agricultural science is one of the oldest branches of science. It helps us to understand how to make the best possible use of soil, water, the seasons, and weather to produce food. Advances in agricultural science have allowed us to crossbreed or engineer plants and animals to be bigger, tastier, more nutritious, and hardier to suit our growing population and changing climate.
Agriculture has always relied on innovation and technology, and today it makes use of all kinds of advanced technology like automated tractors on the ground as well as satellites in space monitoring our herds of cattle, crops, and the weather.
When thinking about the relationship between food and science, it’s important to consider how we’re connected to and rely on the environment. This includes topics like how bees are essential to pollination and how we go about keeping them safe, how we ensure our farming and fishing practices are as sustainable and non-polluting as possible, as well as what we can learn from Indigenous communities who have been managing the land for tens of thousands of years.
Food is intimately connected to our health too, and scientists are constantly working to make sure it is as safe, nutritious, and delicious as can be. Science has helped us answer questions like what nutrients we need, how best to preserve food, how to reduce food waste, and even how to do wild things in the kitchen like make ice-cream with liquid nitrogen.
Science is everywhere. Most importantly, it can be fun to engage with and rewarding to understand. We hope you’ll agree, so make sure to get along to Served with a Side of Science: A Canberra Food Festival.
What’s on?
We’ve got a veritable smorgasbord of food-themed events happening all over Canberra and online on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of August. Check the calendar below, and follow the links through to the National Science Week website to get more information about each event!
Keep checking back as we’ll continue to update the calendar as more exciting events go online!
Friday 13th August | Saturday 14th August | Sunday 15th August |
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Indigenous Food and Agriculture ACT Nat Sci Wk & The Royal Society of Victoria Location: Online Time/s: 6:30-7:45pm | The Canberra Youth Science & Entrepreneurship Festival The Australian School of Entrepreneurship Location: Reid Time/s: 9:00-11:00am, 11:30am-1:30pm, 2:00-4:00pm | The Canberra Youth Science & Entrepreneurship Festival The Australian School of Entrepreneurship Location: Reid Time/s: 9:00-11:00am, 11:30am-1:30pm |
Tour of Ainslie Urban Farm Canberra Environment Centre Location: Ainslie Time/s: 10:00-11:30am, 12:00-1:30pm | Native Plant Use Dreamtime Connections Location: TBD Time/s: TBD |
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Bush Foods and Science workshop YURBAY Location: Gungahlin Time/s: 12:30-01:30pm, 2:00-3:00pm | Fuzzy Logic Science Show Fuzzy Logic Science Show Location: Radio 2xx, 98.3fm Time/s: 11:00am-12:00pm |
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Science at the Tuggeranong Homestead Tuggeranong Homestead Location: Richardson Time/s: 10:00am-2:00pm | Mt Majura On Country Tour Canberra Seed Savers Location: Hackett Time/s: 1:00-3:00pm |
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See Inside Canberra's One and Only Insect Farm – the future of waste management and protein production Goterra Location: Hume Time/s: 12:00pm-1:00pm, 1:15pm-2:15pm, 2:30pm-3:30pm, | Sustainable Food for Kids: Maker burger Canberra Environment Centre Location: Acton Peninsula Time/s: 2:00-3:30pm |
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Space Beer BentSpoke Brewing Co Location: Braddon Time/s: 4:00-5:00pm | Growing a Seed Workshop Canberra Seed Savers Location: Chifley Time/s: 2:00-3:00pm, 3:00-4:00pm |
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NFSA Live: Honeyland National Film and Sound Archive Location: Acton Time/s: 6:00-8:30pm | Sustainability and Composting at Home and in the Workplace Mount Stromlo Observatory Location: Mount Stromlo Observatory Time/s: 3:00-4:00pm |
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Growing Food in Space ACT Nat Sci Wk Location: Online Time/s: 7:00-8:30pm | Future Food Perspectives: Food Security, Nutrition, and Culture - A Panel Discussion ACT Nat Sci Wk Location: Online Time/s: 6:30-7:30pm |
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Pub Trivia Served With A Side Of Science (Northside) Broderick Matthews & ACT Nat Sci Wk Location: Aranda Time/s: 7:00-9:00pm |
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Thursday 19th August |
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Pub Trivia Served With A Side Of Science (Southside) Broderick Matthews & ACT Nat Sci Wk Location: Kingston Time/s: 7:00-9:00pm |
Who can come to the events? Can I bring my children?
Some events may have age restrictions or be more suited to particular audiences—check the linked event listing for more information. In general though, anyone and everyone is welcome to attend!
Do I need to pre-book?
Some events do have a limited number of places available, so be sure to click the link and check the event listing!
What about COVID-19?
All events and participants need to follow current ACT Health restrictions. In general, please use the Check in CBR app when arriving at each event, observe 1.5 m distancing, and do not attend in-person events if you are sick or experiencing symptoms. Taking these few steps helps us keep everyone in Canberra safe!
Can I attend more than one event?
Absolutely!
Is there a charge to these events?
While most events are free, a few do have entrance or participation fees. Check the event links for more information.
Where can I find more information about other National Science Week events?
Check the National Science Week website for more events running both in Canberra and online!
The International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021: Fruits and vegetables, your dietary essentials (#IYFV2021) raises awareness of the important role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, food security, and health. The school theme for National Science Week, 14-22 August 2021, is Food: Different by Design which also celebrates IYFV2021.
To celebrate the #IYFV2021, the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment supported the development of a playing card game based on Australia’s indigenous and non-indigenous fruits, vegetables, and nuts. The cards were developed as part of a CSIRO STEM Professionals in Schools “STAM” (Science, Technology, Arts, and Maths) project. The project could not have been achieved without the commitment and fabulous artwork from Namadgi and Farrer Primary Schools students and teachers and their STEM Professional in School.
These playing cards celebrate, promote, and raise awareness of the nutritional benefits of Australia’s fruits, vegetables, and nuts, as well as the IYFV2021. The card suits represent: tropical fruits and nuts (♥); temperate fruits (♠); Australian indigenous fruits, vegetables, and nuts (♦); and vegetables (♣).
Each card shows the nutritional information for 100g of fruit, vegetable, or nuts. A top trumps-style game can be played using the nutritional information. We hope you enjoy playing the card game while learning about Australia’s healthy and nutritious fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Get a PDF version of the game here to print and play at home!
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National Science Week in the ACT is jam-packed with a wide variety fun activities for all ages and interests — check out the full calendar of events online.