At the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems ( TMOS), we inspire the next generation of scientists, engineer, and innovators.
Through hands-on workshops, interactive demonstrations and engaging real-world examples, our researchers bring the exciting world of physics, engineering, and meta-optics into classrooms across Australia.
Students discover how light-based technologies are transforming healthcare, communications, manufacturing, and quantum technologies, while exploring the science behind innovations that are shaping our future.
Designed for Year 5 students and aligned with the Australian Curriculum, our workshops help students connect classroom learning with everyday life, encouraging curiosity, critical thinking and a lasting interest in STEM.
“Not only is it important to ask questions and find the answers, as a scientist I felt obligated to communicate with the world what we were learning.”
Stephen Hawking
Our Outreach Goals
We are committed to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers by making cutting-edge optics, photonics and quantum science accessible to students, educators and communities across Australia.
Our key priorities include:
- Expanding our Senior STEM Engagement Program across TMOS partner institutions to provide students with hands-on experiences in contemporary optics and photonics research.
- Strengthening science communication skills through a dedicated training workshop delivered in partnership with Questacon, empowering researchers to engage effectively with diverse audiences.
- Advancing interactive learning technologies, including the completion of the Advanced Photon Clicker prototype developed collaboratively by UWA and Questacon.
- Creating curriculum-aligned workshops for primary and secondary schools that bring light, optics and emerging technologies into the classroom.
- Building partnerships with leading outreach organisations to broaden engagement in space, quantum and optical sciences.
- Connecting with local communities through public libraries, museums and community events.
- Developing a travelling Science Bus Outreach Program to bring interactive science experiences to regional and remote communities.
- Designing and testing new hands-on educational kits, including Laser Ice Hockey and Interference Kits, to make complex optical concepts engaging and accessible.
2025 Governor-General’s Design Challenge
The 2025 Governor-General’s Design Challenge (GGDC), delivered in partnership with Questacon and the Office of the Governor-General of Australia, represented one of the most significant national outreach initiatives undertaken by TMOS in 2025.
Under the theme Designing with Photons: How Light Shapes Life, the program engaged almost 5,000 students nationwide, reaching 68 schools, 189 classes, and communities across all eight Australian states and territories. Importantly, the Challenge extended well beyond metropolitan centres, with participation from regional, outer regional, and very remote schools, highlighting the program’s strong national reach and accessibility.
Want our Outreach team to visit your school?
Our School Workshops
The Past, Present and Future of Light
The Past, Present and Future of LightThe audience is introduced to The Story of Light – from antiquity to the future of meta-optics. Learn about the sun, fire, lenses, electromagnetism, refraction, diffraction, interference, photons, lasers and the exciting world of meta-optics. Hands-on demonstrations include being able to replicate some of the historical experiments which led to some of the biggest discoveries in light and learning how to physically show these exciting concepts at home!
- Labelled ray diagrams
- Comparing shadows from point and extended light sources
- Classification of materials as transparent, opaque or translucent
- Recognising colour of objects depends on their properties and the colour of the light source
- Using mirrors to demonstrate reflection of light
- Recognising refraction of light at surfaces of transparent materials
- Investigating the use of solar panels
- Understanding the behaviour of light by making observations of its effects
- Exploring reflection, absorption and refraction of light using mirrors, sunglasses and prisms
- Discussing the use of electricity and conservation of sources of energy
“The TMOS outreach team hosted a public event in my hometown of Shepparton in regional Victoria for the International Day of Light. The highly publicised and anticipated event was a huge success, seeing almost 100 people of all ages across the region engage in an immersive and hands-on experience on the story of light.”
Shaban Sulejman, Outreach Committee Alumni, UoM
How-to Holograms
How-to HologramsHolograms – how and where they are used in everyday life. Learn about the fascinating light concepts behind the formation of holograms, including reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference! Hands-on demonstrations include the use a laser pointer to visualise the light principles of reflection, refraction and diffraction, seeing hologram printing in action and take home a pair of your own diffraction glasses!
- Labelled ray diagrams
- Classification of materials as transparent, opaque or translucent
- Recognising colour of objects depends on their properties and the colour of the light source
- Using mirrors to demonstrate reflection of light
- Recognising refraction of light at surfaces of transparent materials
- Understanding the behaviour of light by making observations of its effects
- Exploring reflection, absorption and refraction of light using mirrors, sunglasses and prisms
The hologram workshop brought the foundational concepts of light to the classroom in an exciting way. We hope this allowed the students to enjoy learning science more, and get them interested to keep pursuing it in the future.”
Neuton Li, Outreach Committee Member, ANU
Discovering Diffraction
Discovering DiffractionLearn about the concepts behind diffraction and where we can observe diffraction in nature and our day-to-day lives. Hands-on demonstrations include the use torchlights, CDs and plastic prisms to demonstrate how light can be diffracted, learn how to use multi-coloured LED finger-lights and diffraction glasses to see diffraction in action and make your own spectrometer with a mini DIY kit!
- Recognising colour of objects depends on their properties and the colour of the light source
- Recognising refraction of light at surfaces of transparent materials
- Developing an understanding of the behaviour of light by making observations on its effects
The Outreach program brought a lot of joy to so many children at our school. We were able to take away physical items to show and work with as well link the learning from the workshop to our classroom learning. It was thoroughly enjoyed and we would love the opportunity to work with outreach again soon.
Dion Karagiannis, Year 6 teacher, Rose Park School
Outreach visits
Outreach Committee
Igor Aharonovich
Chief Investigator
University of Technology Sydney
Sophia Aharonovich
Outreach Coordinator, Node Administrator
University of Technology Sydney
Damini Rangaswamy
PhD Student
University of Western Australia
Nicholas Sloane
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Technology Sydney
Julie Leroux
Centre Coordinator
Australian National University
Taskil Dastoor
PhD Student
Australian National University
Aayushi Nanda
PhD Student
University of Western Australia
Sudhanshu Kumawat
PhD Student
University of Melbourne
Jinyuan Chen
PhD Student
University of Melbourne
Haiwei Wang
PhD Student
University of Melbourne
Daniel Morley
PhD Student
University of Western Australia
Acknowledgement of Country
The ARC Centre for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) acknowledges the Traditional Owners and their custodianship of the lands on which our teams operate. We pay our respects to their Ancestors and their descendants, who continue cultural and spiritual connections to Country. We recognise their valuable contributions to Australian and global society.