Outreach
The Biophotonics research group are always keen to participate in projects and events that bring the public to our labs, or bring our science to the public in entertaining ways. These are some of the events we have been involved in.
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Please get in touch if you would like to collaborate or share ideas.
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Watch our videos for inspiration.
Visiting Chatham Islands
On 1 November 2018 Frederique together with Dodd Walls Centre and the Otago Museum brought science to the most remote school in New Zealand on Pitt Island, 20km south of the main Chatham Island.
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Projects for interaction included the magic of light and colour, demonstrating diffractive glasses, light-based communication and the wave nature of light with the Poisson spot.
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Multiple rocket launches, and the basics of geology were illustrated with play-dough and slime and the day concluded with rock hunting at the nearby beach where the children were able to explain their remote lifestyle and their environment.
A fun day was had by all.
Interactive Playground / Beambox
The “Interactive Playground -Beambox” project was an innovative concept that gives the opportunity to see, hear and experience the electromagnetic spectrum.
A collaboration between the University of Auckland, Auckland Live, AUT and Colab, with the financial support of Government’s “Unlocking Curious Minds” initiative.
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For past events and more information please visit the website:
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https://colab.aut.ac.nz/beambox/
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Day at Auckland Live workshops
A five day programme with groups of primary school students across Auckland who participated in mini workshops.
Neelam Hari was involved in the organisation and execution of a session introducing the students to light-based communication via mini Beambox light communicators, which display the light communication in the installation itself.
Students explored light, sound and how it is used in our modern-day communication. By using household items, such as mirrors, rubber bands, lenses and sunglasses, they learnt more about the way light travels, the properties of light and linking that to how we use it in communication.
Visitors to the 2017 MOTAT Science Street Fair explored the new music composition capability of the Beambox.
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As part of his summer project Zak Whiting had modified each box so it transmitted an audio track, consisting of a single instrument.
When the boxes were combined the layers of instruments played a full ensemble.
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For more information please visit the MOTAT website.