Author: kharley

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip is back in 2025 to complete its lap across the length and breadth of Australia.

The annual road trip will begin in Karratha on 4 August and visit remote and regional schools and communities before finishing in Sydney on 17 August. There will also be pop-up events such as science-themed pub trivia, demonstrations and public lectures in capital cities across the country.

The lap of Australia began four years ago and road-tripping scientists have gradually visited regional and remote areas across the country, holding pop-up events across the nation’s capital cities.

The Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and for Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM) are organising this year’s event to coincide with National Science Week.

The road trip aims to introduce quantum technology and particle physics to Australians, 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.

Road trip organiser and physicist Dr Ben McAllister, from CDM, EQUS and Swinburne University of Technology, says school events will involve presentations, demonstrations and Q&A sessions.

He says scientists are expecting to address questions from students about all things dark matter, quantum … and extraterrestrial.

“Every year the kids ask amazing questions about all kinds of things. Funnily enough we are constantly asked about aliens and even though it’s not technically our area of research, we’re happy to provide the best answers we can to whatever areas of science interest the students. We love hearing what interests them, and trying to connect them to science.

“We’re thrilled that this year we will be completing the lap of the country that we started four years ago, visiting schools and communities that might not usually have access to the cutting-edge science that’s happening right here in Australia.

“We talk about the ways quantum technology already impacts their lives, through its role in computing, medicine and communications – quantum technology is used in MRI machines, fibre optic cables and even barcode scanning.

“The road trip is an opportunity to introduce Australians to the researchers at the forefront of scientific exploration and hopefully inspire them to consider pursuing careers in science.”

During the road trip, 16 scientists from the University of Melbourne, Swinburne University of Technology, Macquarie University, the University of Sydney and the University of Newcastle will present talks and demonstrations at schools across Australia.

The cities and towns it will visit are:

 

Scientists from the University of Sydney, Australian National University, Swinburne University, the University of Melbourne, the University of Newcastle and the University of Western Australia will present pop-up events in capital cities.

Macquarie University and EQUS Research Fellow Dr Kerstin Beer is looking forward to spreading the word about quantum and dark matter science in this year’s road trip, after participating in the past two events.

“I have been involved in two road trips so far and it’s fantastic to see how engaged and curious the students are when we talk to them about quantum and dark matter research.

“This year’s event is particularly important as it is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology and we can explain the role that quantum plays and will continue to play in the lives of Australians.

“Through this National Science Week road trip, we aim to demystify science careers for students who might never have met a scientist face-to-face, and show them how inspiring and exciting science can be. This is particularly important as we know that students living in rural and regional areas of Australia are less likely to pursue a career in science and that is something we’d like to help change.”

 

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip has received National Science Week funding to support its 2025 event.

The road trip was one of 31 initiatives to receive the Australian Government funding and this year’s event will be held between August 4 and 21. Recipients of the 2025 National Science Week grants were announced on 27 March 2025.

The details of the route are yet to be decided, but it is likely to travel across Australia from Broome to Perth and Adelaide to Sydney.

The road trippers aim to visit schools and communities, mainly in rural and remote areas of Australia, that they have not yet reached in the four years of the event.

Pop up events including public talks, science trivia nights and demonstrations will also be held at cities across the country.

Event organiser Ben McAllister says the annual road trip is a highlight of the science calendar.

“The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip provides an opportunity for communities in rural and remote areas to learn about the cutting edge science happening in Australia.

“We hope that by introducing students and members of the public to quantum and dark matter science, we can inspire a future generation of Australian scientists.”

This year’s road trip will coincide with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

It is also the year that the SABRE South dark matter experiment, located in the Stawell Underground Physic Laboratory – the only facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – will start taking data.

“Our scientists are carrying out internationally-significant research that might change the way we understand the universe, and the road trip is an opportunity to share the excitement of scientific exploration,” Dr McAllister says.

Stay tuned to find out more about the 2025 road trip on our website and social media channels.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY: Event organiser and dark matter scientist Ben McAllister is available for interview.

Contact Fleur Morrison at fleur.morrison@unimelb.edu.au to arrange an interview or photo opportunity.

On Thursday 15 August 2024, as part of the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip, Dr Ben McAllister gave a public talk titled Shining a light on dark matter.

Australian scientists are on the cutting edge of the quest to unravel one of the biggest mysteries in the Universe: the nature of dark matter. This talk discusses the innovative research being conducted to understand the elusive substance that makes up about 85% of the matter in the Universe. Central to these efforts is the development of new technologies, including quantum technologies, which are enhancing our capabilities to search for dark matter with unprecedented precision. We will learn how new technology and new experiments are pushing the boundaries of our knowledge and bringing us closer to uncovering the secrets of the cosmos. This talk is designed for all audiences, offering a glimpse into the world of Australian and global dark matter research, and the future of quantum science.

About the speaker

Dr Ben McAlister is a physicist and science communicator who works across dark matter and quantum technology. When he’s not in the lab working on new experiments, he’s usually somewhere else talking about them. Ben works at Swinburne University of Technology, and is a member of the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and Dark Matter Particle Physics (CDM). He is one of the organisers of the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip, and a lifelong North Melbourne Football Club tragic.

EQUS and CDM held another highly successful National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip in 2024. This year the road trip was more remote than ever, visiting the Northern Territory and Indigenous schools and communities for the first time.

The 2024 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip saw 13 members of CDM and/or EQUS travel 8,000km from Brisbane to Broome, visiting 18 schools and delivering six public events. An additional seven public events were held in metropolitan areas in WA, NSW, VIC, Tasmania and online. Check out the highlights below from the 2024 National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip!

Highlight Reel

Thanks to Kerstin Beer for putting the video together!

Photos

These photos were captured by road trippers as they crossed the country from Queensland, through the Northern Territory, via remote communities, and finishing in Western Australia. Click on the thumbnails to see the full photos.

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!

Listen to the podcast episode

The National Quantum and Dark Matter Road Trip recently visited the Central West and made the Longreach Leader!

See article in the Longreach Leader

The National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip was featured in EducationHQ!

Read the story: https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/the-national-quantum-and-dark-matter-road-trip-coming-to-the-territory-for-the-first-time/news-story/7ceaaceacc1039806622be0462a55eac.

—by Australian Associated Press

A team of scientists is travelling through Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, hoping to inspire the next generation of physicists in remote areas.

The scientists have been visiting schools and communities and hosting science pub trivia quizzes across Queensland during the National Quantum & Dark Matter Road Trip.

Talking to students about dark matter, which Swinburne University of Technology physicist Ben McAllister told AAP is one of the biggest mysteries of the universe, and quantum physics, which is integral for solving this mystery, is meant not just to teach but to inspire.

“The main goal is not to be teaching them science content, although that’s nice if you can do that,” he said.

“The main goal is about inspiring the next generation of scientists and letting them know there is really awesome, cutting edge research in these fields going on in Australia.”

The scientists began their road trip in Brisbane on 4 August, ahead of National Science Week this week, and will end in Broome, WA, after crossing Queensland and the NT, on 19 August.

The road trip has been held each year since 2021 and this year Dr McAllister said the focus is on regional and remote communities who don’t usually have the opportunity to meet scientists face to face.

“If you don’t hear that message, if you don’t receive that message, then you would never know that it’s possible for you,” he said.

Bulla Camp School at Baines, a community in the Northern Territory, more than 400 kilometres south of Darwin near the WA border, is one such school.

There are just 11 primary students and principal Debbie Bailey said they’re always excited to have visitors at the school, although being so remote it’s not something that happens very often.

“We’re a long way from anything and we don’t have hotels and motels on our doorstep,” she said.

“Being willing to travel the distance and involve the students at the school, even if it’s only one student that it sparks interest in, it’s well worth it.”

Ms Bailey said the students they love learning about science, especially when they get to do hands-on experiments.

“Anything to do with making slime or mixing things together or having them change colour, the kids love it,” she said.

“Being able to physically touch and feel and see and even taste and smell different things and being able to explain how that happened.”