"Anyone else for Mapping the Universe?''
That question hung tantalisingly in the air as youngsters flocked into the Dunedin city library yesterday during a further burst of events linked to the latest New Zealand International Science Festival.
But festival worker Donnalouise Cragg's rather cosmic question did attract some more takers, and about 50 people flocked to an astronomy-linked Mapping the Universe Workshop, held at the library at 1pm yesterday.
Another earlier popular event, also upstairs at the library, was "Fight like a Physicist'', a session led by physics graduate and science educator Emily Hall, from 11.30am.
Ms Hall, who holds a black belt in karate, was helped by her two sons, fellow karate exponents Keegan (13) and Riley (14).
About 20 participants paid keen attention and enjoyed taking part in fun activities, which used karate to demonstrate a host of physics concepts, including mass and force.
Festival director Chris Green said many festival events sought to appeal to youngsters aged 10 to 13, given that youngsters of that age often lost interest in science. Ms Hall said some youngsters thought physics was too difficult and lacked relevance, but karate helped her communicate "classical mechanics'' principles in a lively, practical way and helped make youngsters "more comfortable'' with physics.
Another popular activity yesterday was a "Skeleton Alive!'' session at the Wall Street mall.
Dunedin sculptor and University of Otago anatomy PhD graduate Dr Louisa Baillie gave a marathon three and a-half hour presentation, talking and applying clay to a plastic skeleton to highlight key muscle groups.
"I loved it. I got great feedback,'' she said.
