Nanogirl – Dr. Michelle Dickinson MNZM – is bringing science, technology and engineering to life for young people right across New Zealand this December with a national tour of her live, theatrical science show “Little Bang, Big Bang”.
With the support of Spark, the University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering, and the MacDiarmid Institute, the tour will visit seven centres around New Zealand between December 2nd and December 17th (see tour schedule below).
“Little Bang, Big Bang” presents engineering and science in ways New Zealand has never seen before. Audiences can expect a performance packed full of explosions (LOTS of explosions!), liquid nitrogen, giant fireballs and daredevil stunts – there’s even a jet-powered supermarket trolley! (See a video at nanogirllive.co.nz).
“Little Bang, Big Bang” is both the title and underlying idea behind the show. Each scientific concept is first explored with a ‘little bang’ – an experiment carried out with the help of a volunteer from the audience. From there, Nanogirl and her assistant Boris use engineering to build an experiment that explores the same science on a MUCH larger scale (the “BIG Bang”!).
Dr. Dickinson believes that understanding of science and engineering – and inspiring people to explore STEM subjects in education – is critical to New Zealand’s long-term success.
“I’m passionate about ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to science education. One of my goals is to challenge the stereotypes around engineering and science. I really believe that science is everywhere – and for everyone – and that’s what this project is all about. It’s also a huge amount of fun!”, says Dickinson.
A group of sponsors has come together to make this project a reality. Clive Ormerod, General Manager Customer & Marketing at Spark (Platinum Partner) says “We see science and technology playing an important role in New Zealand’s future, and it’s our children who’ll be driving that. We want to them all to have the opportunity to do great things...This science show will be an awesome step toward that.”
Alongside the theatrical performance schedule, Nanogirl will be visiting schools in each centre to engage with students and teachers through a partnership with The MacDiarmid Institute, demonstrating exciting experiments and providing teachers with lesson plans and curriculum material to support the delivery of science and engineering lessons in schools. Thanks to the generous support of the project’s sponsors, this is provided at no cost to the schools.
Nanogirl says “I’m so excited to be bringing this show to towns and cities around New Zealand. The experiments are going to be huge (talk about a ‘BIG BANG!’!) – I just can’t wait to get on the road. One thing I’ve learned already – steering a jet-powered trolley is harder than it looks!”
“Little Bang, Big Bang” opens at Rotorua’s Civic Theatre on December 2nd. Tickets are available online at nanogirllive.co.nz.
