Most people might leave a Sunday afternoon spent at their local with a meat tray they won in a raffle - or maybe a hangover - but for a group of residents at Springwood Sports Club last July the outcome was more profound.
They left the Macquarie Road club thinking about donating their bodies to science after being inspired by Professor Shari Forbes of the University of Technology who gave a talk about the nearby Yarramundi body farm. Her insights were part of a regular series of popular scientific talks at the club, called Science at the Local.
“People were really fascinated by that topic. Some of them have since contacted our speaker, Professor Shari Forbes, offering to donate their body to science so it really touched people,” said Dr Hamish Clarke, one of the co-convenors of Science at the Local.
For the project’s other convenor, Springwood High School science teacher Kevin Joseph, it was an outcome that perfectly captured the central idea behind Science at the Local: making science relatable by removing it from the lofty world of academia.
“I feel like it’s about community – which is what science should go back to being about… It’s not just [something] done in a distant lab and preserve of the scientific class,” he said.
Science at the Local actually had its beginnings on a basketball court. Dr Clarke and Mr Joseph both play for Springwood and, after discovering their mutual passion for science, started tossing ideas around.
“I think it just started with a conversation – ‘wouldn’t it be great if we did this…’ – and we kept talking about it. That’s where the idea came from,” said Mr Joseph.
With the backing of Springwood and Winmalee Neighbourhood Centres, the first event was held in November 2014 where topics included the latest research on obesity as well as ‘Your poo and you’ (attention-grabbing topics have been a feature of the series).
One of those first speakers, Associate Professor Gareth Denyer from the University of Sydney, was impressed with the outcome.
“They pulled a big, diverse crowd, who were really engaged and asked some great questions,” he said.
In fact, Dr Clarke said Blue Mountains residents regularly impress the scientific speakers with their knowledge.
“Many of the speakers will contact us afterwards and say they were really impressed by how scientifically literate the audience was. We get a lot of good questions – so locals can give themselves a pat on the back!” he said.
His own career in science took a roundabout route. Although enjoying the subject at school, Dr Clarke ended up doing a business/art degree before rediscovering his scientific passion while living in Germany.
“While I was living in Germany I took some science units just kind of for the fun of it and then decided to do a science degree when I came back,” he said.
Dr Clarke did his PhD on climate change and bushfires, a field he continues to research in his current position with the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University.
Mr Joseph’s path was similarly circuitous. Despite completing a molecular biology degree, he went into accounting before returning to science as a teacher.
Both men are relatively recent Blue Mountains residents – Dr Clarke in 2009 from Sydney and Mr Joseph in 2008 from New York. But it’s safe to say they are both well and truly embedded in the Blue Mountains community now. Held bi-monthly, Science at the Local takes up a fair amount of their time, planning topics and finding engaging speakers. The most popular events can attract more than 150 people.
So far, Science at the Local has been supported by one-off funding from Westpac and government grants but Dr Clarke and Mr Joseph are interested in securing a long-term sponsor.
“We really like the idea of it being a free event that’s open to everyone. That’s kind of the point of it,” said Dr Clarke.
People wanting to share the pair’s scientific zeal can folow Science at the Local – Blue Mountains on Facebook and @SciAtTheLocal on Twitter. The pair also have their own Science at the Local podcast where they enjoy conversations with other scientists.
“The world as described by science can be stranger than fiction,” said Dr Clarke.