An annual event exclusive to Adelaide, Science Alive! is the largest, single, interactive science exhibition in Australia.

The Australian Society for Microbiology SA/NT branch has for many years seen this as an amazing opportunity to showcase what we do in our careers.

The event was held over 3 days at The Adelaide Showgrounds compromising of various career zones including defence, energy & mining, space, nature, robot and health sciences – which included our microbiology booth (microbes - good, bad & ugly).

STEM Day

Friday was STEM Day out and this year was attended by 5,494 school students and teachers, year 7-12, travelling from all regions of South Australia. A great opportunity to learn all about careers in STEM. Great conversation starters at our booth included preserved tape worms, heart worms and an interactive puzzle piecing together bacteria and yeast associated with food manufacturing and spoilage.

Public Days

Saturday and Sunday were open to the public and each year the attendance increases – over 16,500 this year!

The 2 days involved painting bacteria on kids’ faces or hands, a dark room containing glow in the dark vibrios (Aliivibrio fischeri), plus bacteria and parasites to look at under the microscope – headlice, poo and yoghurt proved a big hit.

Our GIANT microbiology props were also a highlight for the booth this year - a culture plate (perhaps a Salmonella on XLD?) along with a giant swab and loop, plus great photo opportunities as a giant Gram-negative bacilli, or as a scientist in a microbiology lab.

Our busiest booth attraction is for the youngest budding microbiology recruits. ‘Build your own bacteria’ has been a permanent fixture of our booth for years, and for good reason - this year over 1000 play-doh microbes were made. Each child receives a petri dish containing 3 colours of play-doh and shown examples of common microbes. They are encouraged to either copy or design and build their own microbe. After they are finished, the microbes are sealed with sticky tape (so they don’t escape), and they think of a creative (or actual) name for their microbes to take home.

Science Alive! 2025

22,041 attendees

62% more aware of the organisations supporting STEM in South Australia

57% increased their knowledge about the many uses of science and STEM activities

48% feel they are better informed on science in their everyday world

86% would recommend Science Alive! to family, friends and colleagues

218K social media reach

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Thermo Fisher Scientific SA for donating petri dishes.

Big thanks to Lora Bowes and the micro team at UniSA for making media and plating out the vibrio – they are getting very professional at drawing with it!

To all of this year’s enthusiastic booth volunteers, thanks for your time - we all looked great in our ASM baseball caps and aprons!

ASM National Office – thanks for your continual support for this unique event, it is very much appreciated.

Lastly much thanks to the Science Alive (volunteer run) organizing committee - Andrea McWhorter, Amanda Kenyon, Kimberley McLean, Anja Zelmer and Kate Jeffery.

There is a busy build up to the event which includes new ideas and preparing the interactive activities. With this team, the lead up and the weekend itself is a great experience.

To be able to showcase enthusiasm of our various careers in microbiology is so rewarding, and to be able to represent The Australian Society for Microbiology – we are recruiting future microbiologists early!

Tania Veltman

Science Alive! Committee head (and big kid at heart)