A free, ever-changing schedule of activities is taking place at the Nanofest Festival Hub in the Wall Street Mall from 10am to 3.30pm daily until Sunday.
New Zealand International Science Festival director Jerome Cousins said the hub provided an accessible environment where families could seamlessly connect with local science organisations and university departments.
All people needed to do was "show up, do stuff and engage".
Visitors can explore space art, control a gravity well with marbles, watch live webcams of wild animals and witness visiting artist Dr Sione Faletau create sound and light artworks from environmental data.
Out on the mall AstroTurf, children aged 5 and under can construct creations using the giant blue blocks of the Imagination Playground.
Festival associate director Jenny Chandler said each of the hub stalls was offering active public participation rather than passive viewing.
"They have to have interactive stuff, so it can’t just be a display," Ms Chandler said.
The University of Otago biochemistry department will examine the science of taste and smell, ADInstruments will test stress responses to plunging a hand into icy water and the physics department will demonstrate how the discipline is present in everyday life.
Tomorrow there is an opportunity to build a rocket with the Wonder Project and at the weekend, the Otago Entomology Society will showcase why bugs are essential to ecosystem health.
A repair cafe will take over a quarter of the hub on Sunday, featuring experts from Stitch Kitchen, the Dunedin Gasworks Museum and Give to Grow Ōtepoti to help mend clothing, fix small electrical items and remove rust from hand tools.
Other drop-in stalls include the Department of Conservation showcasing marine wildlife and the chance to have your favourite stone identified by Dr Rock.
Tech enthusiasts can learn about artificial intelligence trapping with Gadgets for Good, while the nearby Golden Centre and Meridian Mall host regular Antarctica films and solar system explorations.
The full festival programme is available at scifest.org.nz
