Description:

Learn how Technical Support Services (TSS) Workshops bring ideas to life through holistic prototyping. From early concept to fabrication, these expert teams support academics across Engineering, Science, and Medicine with solutions in metalwork, 3D printing, electronics and more.

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

With thanks to the broader TSS team, and academic partners across the University — including RPA and Westmead Hospitals, One Tree Island Research Station, and various space research initiatives.

Description:

Wet your whistle with Story Factory’s sonnet sommeliers. Blind taste a selection of (non-alcoholic) drinks and pair them with poetry penned by young local writers. Leave with a printed copy of your chosen poem — and a new appreciation for homegrown literary talent!

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

Story Factory: The University of Sydney is a proud partner in supporting Story Factory’s after-school creative writing programs, including Year of the Novella and Year of Poetry, which give young writers the annual chance to publish their own books and launch them at the University.

Description:

Explore how everyday products are connected to modern slavery and your consumer choices can drive ethical change. Featuring stories of resilience from survivor-advocates and insights from the University’s leading research, this interactive display invites you to be part of a global movement for human rights.

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

With thanks to survivor-advocates, the ethical brands championing anti-slavery practices, and the researchers contributing to a fairer, more transparent global economy.

Description:

Travel back through time and immerse yourself in the refined aesthetics of Chinese heritage, where the flowing elegance of HanFu attire meets the enduring beauty of brush and ink in the art of calligraphy. Don the exquisite splendour of Han-style garments and trace the graceful dance of brush and ink, uncovering the timeless tales entwined in every thread and stroke.

Presented by:

• Miss Hongchong Yu, PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics and Multilingual Translation Studies; Sessional academic, School of Languages and Cultures

Description:

Step into the shoes of a rural patient and experience how social determinants like income, education, environment and occupation can shape health outcomes. This interactive game reveals the challenges and realities faced by rural communities across Australia.

Presented by:

• Dr Heather Russell, School of Rural Health

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

• Dr Christopher Harrison, Sydney School of Public Health
• Lisa Hampshire, School of Rural Health
• Dr Marguerite Tracy, GP Clinical School, Sydney Medical School
• Professor Annette Burgess, Sydney Medical School
• Dr Anna Noonan, School of Rural Health
• Dr Tristan Marino, School of Rural Health

Notes:

This game contains sensitive material. Parental supervision is recommended for participants under 16. Please ensure you’re comfortable with the content before playing.

Description:

Try on VR goggles and explore how innovative design is transforming healthcare. At the Health Immersive Interaction Lab, discover interactive tools that support patients, families, and medical professionals, using technology like virtual reality and AI to create friendlier, more effective health environments.

Presented by:

• Dr Soojeong Yoo
• Dr Howe Zhu
• Dr Carlos Tirado Corte
• Dr Tram Tran

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

• Western Sydney (Baludarri) Precinct
• Western Sydney Local Health District Research and Education Network
• Sydney Environment Institute Collaborative Grant

Description:

Play a speedy version of Remediate!, our synthetic biology card game, and battle plastic pollution with superpowered microbes! Come and meet some of the game designers and find out more about this brand-new card game.

Presented by:

• Dr Taylor Szyszka

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology.

Description:

Cutting-edge research meets industrial innovation at the Sydney Manufacturing Hub. Discover how ideas move from concept to prototype to production.

Presented by:

• Dr. Zhenjun Xu, Director, Sydney Manufacturing Hub

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

With thanks to the Hub’s technical team and industry partners supporting advanced manufacturing research and development.

Description:

Interact with a hands-on tool for exploring environmental and geotechnical processes, using a dynamic augmented reality (AR) sandbox that visualises elevation, erosion, and pollution dispersion in real time.

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

• Dr. Benjy Marks, Particles and Grains Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering
• Dr. François Guillard, Particles and Grains Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering

Description:

Our team is transforming how we learn, teach, and solve global problems - from energy and climate to food and health. Step into the high-tech world of chemical and bioengineering through products, pixels, and possibilities.

• Take a thermal selfie using infrared cameras.
• Explore augmented reality models of real-world engineering equipment.
• Chat with our AI-powered engineering bots - trained to teach, support, and inspire.

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

• Dr Gobinath Rajarathnam (Thermal Cameras, Vuforia AR, Cogniti AI Bots)
• Dr David Alam, Minghao Zhang, Sebastian Dominguez Flores, Juanita Suarez Perez, Dr Thomas Whittle and Dr Ziyan Man (Thermal Cameras)
• Matthew Wolfenden, Dr Anthony Katselas, Adjunct Professor David Fletcher, Professor Timothy Langrish, Luke Hanson and Imran Mutaliph (Vuforia AR)
• Peter Lok and Monique Laura (Cogniti AI Bots)
• Professor Marjorie Valix
• Associate Professor John Kavanagh

Description:

Meet Spot and learn how he is supporting the safer management of heritage assets by creating a digital twin of historic lighthouse tender ship, MV Cape Don.

Presented by:

• David Henderson, Technical Lead, ARIAM Research Hub

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

With thanks to the ARIAM Hub team and the Cape Don Society.

Description:

At EAT RAJA, India’s first zero-waste juice bar, drinks are served in fruit shells and scraps are composted or fed to temple cows.

Find out what students in our Global Mobility program learned about food justice during their time in Bangalore, all while choosing and blending your own low-waste juice. Any waste will be composted by the university’s “Chester the Biodigester".

Presented by:

• Associate Professor Susan Banki, Discipline of Sociology and Criminology
• Cara Bonnington, Associate Director, Global Mobility, Sydney Future Students
• Students from the Masters of Social Justice program

Description:

Curious about learning a language? Get a feel for the School of Languages and Cultures and celebrate intercultural understanding with these short language tasters, cultural quizzes, script-writing exercises and interactive games.

Presented by:

• Dr Tristan Lay, Lecturer in Japanese Studies

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

School of Languages and Cultures Outreach & Engagement Working Group

Description:

Get your portrait taken in the iconic Quadrangle and watch it developed on-site using plant-based chemistry in our open-air darkroom. Discover how art and science combine to create more sustainable photographic practices and get an incredible souvenir of your Festival day!

Presented by:

• Dr Yvette Hamilton, Senior Lecturer in Photography

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

• Isobel Markus-Dunworth and Remi Siciliano (Sydney College of the Arts)
• Dr Alexander Yuen (School of Chemistry)
• The Darkroom Social
• Project supported by the Sydney Social Sciences and Humanities Advanced Research Centre, the School of Chemistry, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Advancement Portfolio

Description:

In this hands-on demonstration, we explore key principles of a Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) transmission system. WDM technology enables extremely high data rates, often exceeding 1 Tbps (1 Terabit = 1000 Gigabits), over a single strand of optical fiber.

Presented by:

• Professor Xiaoke Yi
• Associate Professor Liwei Li

Description:

University of Sydney researchers are using acid-generating microbes to dissolve and recover critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and gold from e-waste and industrial residues.

This breakthrough bio recycling process transforms waste into a valuable resource and shows how Australia can secure essential materials for the clean-energy transition.

Presented by:

• Javier Omar Jara Ochoa and Lucas Frantz, PhD candidates in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the University of Sydney Net Zero Institute

Collaborations/Acknowledgements:

Smartcrete CRC/The University of Sydney