Physicists visit Warrnambool schools to shed light on how the phenomenon has driven innovation

The visiting hands-on workshop, The Story of Light, charts humankind's relationship with light and the ways it has driven innovation, which is the theme for this year's national Science Week.

The Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems outreach team is holding sessions at Warrnambool Primary School, Warrnambool College and after-school workshops at the city's library and learning hub on Thursday, August 17.

The Story of Light was crafted to expose young people, including those in regional areas, to science demonstrations and activities that they wouldn't otherwise get to experience.

TMOS outreach director Igor Aharonovich said the real future of innovation "currently sits in a classroom dreaming about devices that don't yet exist".

"That's why our outreach program is so important," Professor Aharonovich said. "We need young people to be as passionate about optics as we are.

"The thing about studying light is that you can't unsee it. Once you understand how a rainbow is formed, the concept of refraction is reinforced every time you see white light split into colours.

"Once you know how reflection works, you use that understanding to get the perfect angle when you're looking at something behind you. Of all the physics disciplines, light-or optical physics-is the most fascinating and the most obvious to us day-to-day."

As part of the workshops, real-world physicists shared their passion for optics and answered questions about what working in STEMM is really like.

Visiting physicist Ben Russell said the school visits helped students to see "anyone can be a physicist".

"My primary school teachers were great but they weren't experts in physics," Mr Russell said. "I didn't discover the really interesting stuff until I became the expert.

"Now, I want to share those interesting things with kids. I want to share things that I didn't get to see at their age. It will be beyond what they can imagine, but still 100 per cent real phenomenon."

The Warrnambool Library will host two public workshops from 4pm to 6pm on August 17 for community members. For more information contact the library on 5559 4990.

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