Road trip aims to drive up STEM interest in Tasmania

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip will arrive in Tasmania in 2026 to share the joy and excitement of science with students and communities.

Now in its fifth year, the road trip aims to ignite an interest in STEM, inspire a future generation of scientists and engineers, and highlight the potential of quantum technologies and dark matter discovery for the benefit of our society.

The 2026 event is organised by the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) and Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC) and supported by the Australian Institute of Physics.

Starting at the Beaker Street Festival in Hobart on Friday, 14 August, the physicists will travel to Launceston, where they will attend the Big Day of Science at the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Devonport, Roseberry and smaller towns along the route, before returning to Hobart on Friday, 21 August.

The road trippers will visit primary and secondary schools and hold community events including pub quizzes, talks and demonstrations. Public events will also be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as part of the road trip.

Organiser and physicist Dr Ben McAllister, from CDM and Swinburne University of Technology says the road trip provides a unique opportunity for students and communities to meet scientists, ask questions and learn about the world-class dark matter and quantum science happening in Australia.

“The Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip has been a really successful and hugely rewarding part of National Science Week in the past four years and we’re pleased to be bringing it to Tasmania in 2026.

“It can be rare for students outside metropolitan centres to meet physicists in person and hear about the exciting research going on in Australia. On the road trip we visit regional and remote schools to try to ignite a love of science in these students. We hope these young Tasmanians will be the ones to help us answer some of the great questions of the universe, and meet the challenges of the future,” Dr McAllister said.

“It is more important than ever to promote an interest in physics after the 2025 Year 12 Physics Participation Report Card found enrolment in Year 12 physics had dropped to 12.1% – the lowest on record, with girls continuing to be under-represented. This is the concerning situation across Australia, including in Tasmania, and we want to do our part to help inspire kids to stick with STEM into senior high school.

“This year we are excited to travel to places the road trip has never visited and inspire a whole new group of students and their communities.”

First time road tripper Eleanor Trimby of QUBIC believes introducing students to the exciting science happening in Australia can play a crucial role in igniting their curiosity and improve engagement in STEM subjects.

“As a teenager, science media including documentaries and radio shows played a big part in inspiring me to study physics. I loved hearing about real-world research beyond the school curriculum and how it was pushing our understanding of the universe forwards. I’m hopeful that this road trip will ignite the same curiosity in a new generation of future scientists! Bringing conversations about physics directly into schools and local communities has the power to get students excited about the future of quantum and dark matter physics, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of that,” Ms Trimby said.