It was a busy few days in a bustling building full of fun and exciting science at Canberra’s Science in ACTion science fair. We saw everything from Daleks, slime, fossils and snakes come by us and we heard there was even a piece of Mars in the building!
For the last two days Cheeky Neurons, Nix and Nelly, and the team have been very busy building our neural networks, getting to know the Canberra community and sharing knowledge and experiences about brains.
Cheeky Neurons is all about everyone understanding our brains a little better. We want to be able to talk about how our brains work, and the ways that they can act a little cheeky too. While everyone that has a brain can have cheeky neurons, the main mission of Nix and Nellie is to spread awareness and understanding of one of the most common neurological conditions in the world, Epilepsy.
Cheeky founder Jo Adams says “Having conversations with children and families about conditions like epilepsy is the first step to increasing understanding and reducing stigma and anxiety often associated with a diagnosis.”
With that in mind we have been having lots of conversations, and doing a whole lot of crafting too, with visitors able to make and take away their own cheeky character to share with others. We have made so many neurons in the last few days with Canberrans that we are well on our way to building a brain out of them. And as I, and many other people learnt this weekend from Cheeky mastermind Jo Adams, there are 86 billion neurons in our brain!
We’ve had an amazing time making neurons and chatting with everyone we have met about our brains and neurons, thanks to everyone that came along and also to the people at Epilepsy ACT who help us share our message.
If you’re interested in Science Week events in your area, check out some of these other family friendly ones we want to visit!
Parent & child technology time 18 August, Malak NT
What’s going on in your head? 14-17 August, Sydney NSW
Kidz Connect 20 August, Dapto NSW
Stories for Young Scientists 15 August, Cooroy QLD
FutureMakers 14 August, Atherton QLD
Kids Navigate Neuroscience 19 August, Adelaide SA
Science for Big and Little Kids 18 August, Unley SA
Little Bang Discovery Club Science Expo 15 August, Clare SA
Minds in Motion 17 August, Strathalbyn SA
Life Magnified 16 August, Parkville VIC
Science Sensations With Professor Brains 14 August, Bannockburn VIC
Family STEAM evening 17 August, Wantirna South VIC
Celebration of Science Community Expo 19 August, Wilson WA
Build- A-Bug 18-19 August, Perth WA
Perth Science Festival 18-19 August, Perth WA
This guest post was written by Kendal Fairweather from the Cheeky Neurons team. Would you like to write a guest post for National Science Week? Please contact us at Inspiring.Australia@industry.gov.au
