David Astle recently interviewed one of our road trippers, Dr. Ben McAllister, on ABC Evenings to discuss dark matter, cosmic ghosts, galactic rotation curves, and the mysteries of particle physics. Ben was preparing to embark on the 2024 Quantum and Dark Dark Matter Roadtrip from Brisbane to Broome, traveling through rural regions of Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. Listen to the full interview below!
EQUS and CDM held another highly successful National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip in 2024, visiting the Northern Territory, and Indigenous schools and communities for the first time.
This year, a team of 13 EQUS and/or CDM members travelled 8,000 kilometres from Brisbane to Broome, visiting 18 schools and delivering 6 public events. An additional seven public events were held in metropolitan areas in WA, NSW, VIC, Tasmania, and online.
The road trippers who joined different legs of the journey were: Ben McAllister, Kristen Harley, Anita Vecchies, Kerstin Beer, Lachlan Rogers, Ben Field, Emma Paterson, Haylea Purnell, Jesse Slim, Rakesh Saini, Teehani Ralph, Tim Newman and Varun Srivastava. In addition, Will Campbell, John Bartholomew, Xanthe Croot, Elisabetta Barberio, Laura Manenti and others participated in the pop-up events.
Lachlan led the prequel “Physics in the Outback” road trip in 2018, so it was great that he was able to participate in the final road trip as well. He said:
“The road trip was absolutely spectacular! For a part of Australia widely known to be “vast empty space” there were an amazing number of things to see and enjoy. We had to drive past numerous recommended sites without even stopping! The diversity of public engagement was really rewarding. Some schools were large auditoriums full of moderate-to-keen high-school students, and other visits were a handful of children in remote communities. We were welcomed with interest everywhere we went (including pub quizzes).”
The road trip received considerable media coverage, including five unique print and/or online media stories (syndicated across 90 titles), and 6 radio spots, helping to promote science to a wide audience across rural, regional and metropolitan areas of Australia.
The road trip also raised $489 for Deadly Science through donations from event participants.
Kerstin said this year’s road trip was one of the most exciting weeks of her life:
“It provided me with a unique opportunity to experience fascinating landscapes and cultures that I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise. It also offered a valuable chance to enhance my science communication skills, whether engaging with primary-school children or speaking to adults in a pub.”
Clear as Quantum is a podcast from a bunch of scientists at ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, or EQUS, about quantum science and the exciting technologies that are getting ready to unleash a quantum revolution. This special episode recounts adventures from the 2024 National Quantum and Dark Matter Roadtrip – a science journey of more than 8000km across Australia!
The roadtrip has become a significant annual National Science Week event, and this year it drove from Brisbane to Broome across the top of Australia. We visited numerous outback schools to share engaging presentations and hands-on activities, all designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. We also hosted pub quizzes and a community market stall! An adventure this big leads to plenty of stories, and we share some of our favourite anecdotes. Can you picture scientists enjoying crocodile-defying swims and alien-infested motel ruins?
Has quantum science ever “blown your whole mind”, like it did for a student we met in the Northern Territory? Subscribe and share with your friends!
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