Science News

National Science Week 2026 – Seeds of Science

This August, GEC joined schools and communities across Australia in celebrating National Science Week, Australia’s annual celebration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The 2026 school theme is “Seeds of Science: Nurturing knowledge for all.”

This year’s theme is about much more than the seeds we plant in the ground. It explores how scientific knowledge itself begins with a seed – perhaps an observation, an unexpected result, a new idea or simply someone asking “Why?”

The Australian Science Teachers Association describes the theme as exploring how ideas develop “from the first spark of a question to the sharing of discoveries that benefit the wider community.”

Like seeds, scientific ideas need the right conditions to grow. They are questioned, investigated, tested and refined. Scientists share their findings with others, who may then challenge them, build upon them or take them in entirely new directions.

“Seeds of Science is about inspiring the next generation to plant ideas, ask questions and grow innovative and creative solutions.”— Margaret Shepherd, Vice President, Australian Science Teachers Association

Did you know?

A “seed” in science doesn't necessarily grow into a plant.

Crystals can begin growing from a tiny seed crystal. Pearls develop around a small nucleus. Snowflakes begin forming around microscopic particles in the atmosphere. Even planets grew from much smaller particles of matter gradually coming together over enormous periods of time.

Scientific knowledge can grow in much the same way. A seemingly small observation or question can become the seed of a much bigger discovery.

Science Week at GEC

Students had several opportunities to get involved in Science Week this year.

The GEC Science Week Mystery unfolded across the week, with new evidence and clues released for students to investigate. Their challenge was to determine where a mysterious incident occurred, what caused it and who was responsible.

Not every piece of evidence was necessarily as helpful as it first appeared! Students needed to examine the clues carefully, separate useful evidence from possible distractions and use scientific reasoning to build their case. At the end of the week, students submitted their investigation to see whether they had successfully solved the mystery.

Students also put their scientific knowledge to the test in our Science Week Quiz, with different challenges for different year levels. There were questions from across the sciences, some tricky challenges and, of course, a little friendly competition.

And there's more to come…

Our celebration of science will continue this week with SCINEMA – the International Science Film Festival.

Students will have the opportunity to attend a lunchtime SCINEMA session featuring a selection of short science films. Combining science with storytelling, SCINEMA offers another way to discover fascinating scientific ideas, research and stories from Australia and around the world.

National Science Week is a reminder that science doesn't always begin with knowing the answer. More often, it begins with curiosity, an observation and a good question.

Perhaps one of the questions asked by a GEC student this Science Week will be the seed of something much bigger.

Find out more

Want to explore more? Visit the National Science Week website to discover events, activities and science happening across Australia:

National Science Week: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/

Erik Van Weeghel

Science Learning Area Leader

Year 7 and 8 Science

8E are making connections with their knowledge about different energy types and the transformation of energy to build simple circuits. 

7E students have been thriving in immersion science and learning about the phases of the moon using Oreos. 

Karen Muramatsu

Science and Japanese Teacher