UWA hosted the Science for our Future Festival in Malaysia in early August, with more than 3,000 students, teachers, and alumni attending the three-day festival.

The festival focused on the world-wide need for scientifically literate graduates, a message taken up by three UWA academic leaders who each pursued a different theme:

• Nobel Prize winner Professor Barry Marshall stressed the need for graduates to become involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases;
• Former WA Premier Professor Carmen Lawrence explained how science graduates could restore and maintain a balance within natural environments; and
• The Director of UWA’s Institute of Agriculture Professor Kadambot Siddique pointed out that science held the key to ensuring the sustainability of the world’s food supplies.

The focus of the festival might have been science, but it was a long way from being a series of traditional lectures.
Professional science communicator Sarah Lau and her team of presenters brought the stage to life with experiments involving flames and hydrogen explosions. These reinforced the scientific ideas in an exciting, theatrical and visual way.

Malaysia is home to more than 5000 UWA graduates, and Western Australia continues to have strong educational, research, trade and investment ties in Malaysia.

The event was supported by Australian Education International (AEI), Austrade, Perth Education City (PEC), the Western Australian Trade and Investment Office Malaysia, and IDP Education, as well as many members of the UWA community.