Helen Dockrell recalls working with radioactive molecules.
The molecules were kept in a freezer within layers of heavy packaging to make sure they didn’t irradiate her and the other people handling them.
“It was fun and nerve-wracking,” says Helen.
“We used a beeping Geiger counter to sweep for radiation before and after using them, and used lead plates to protect us from getting too much radiation. There was radioactive warning tape all over the place!
“That year, the Adelaide Zombie Walk was on and I joined in as a mad scientist bitten by radioactive mice.”
Mad or not, Helen’s work as a scientist has taken her from a degree in molecular biology (the study of biological activity within and between cells, often focussing on DNA) and work in a laboratory to learning computer science and becoming a data analyst.
In 2025, Helen was named one of South Australia’s 40 Under 40, a listing of 40 young entrepreneurs and leaders. At the time, Helen was a director of a private company specialising in data analytics.
“The literal meaning of analytics is to use a computer to analyse data to find patterns,” she says.
“But what it has come to mean is undertaking complex data analysis and turning it into useful, interactive and user-friendly information that people can actually use and understand.”
Helen is applying these same skills to her work as Research and Insights Officer at the City of Onkaparinga, keen to see science and research underpinning the council’s decisions and activities. She uses the local environment as an example.
“When we ask our community why they choose to stay here, or why they moved to the City of Onkaparinga, a consistent high-ranking answer is the sea or the bush,” she says.
“As a council, we can consider what the research tells us when we choose how to protect our coastline and parks or what trees to plant.”
In the lead-up to National Science Week – running from Saturday 15 August to Sunday 23 August – Helen reflects on the importance of science and research.
“Science and research explore a thousand red herrings to get to a stellar solution, perhaps the next medication or the next solution to make crops more resilient to harsh weather,” she says.
“They’re about forging pathways that are based on hard-won evidence and facts, tried and tested, tried and tested again.
“Where the evidence and facts don’t stack up, it’s back to the laboratory or drawing board. There’s always something new to learn or discover.”
National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. Running each year in August, it features more than 2,500 events around Australia.
The week seeks to spark interest and engagement in the sciences, including for people who are historically underrepresented in the sciences. It also fosters partnerships between the community, research organisations and industry, and trials new and innovative science communication activities.
The City of Onkaparinga is hosting a number of events during the week.
Stellar Stewards
Why does protecting the Earth's orbit matter? Discover how science and First Nations knowledge can help care for the space around the Earth.
Step into Mission Control with Christian Maskey, a Gumbaynggirr man and founder of SpaceBridge, and investigate one of the most fascinating challenges facing our future in space through enquiry, storytelling, gentle movement and technology.
Aldinga Library
11 Central Way, Aldinga Beach
Thursday 20 August, 5:30pm to 7pm
12 years and older
Free (book tickets here)
Chaos in the Kitchen: The Science Show
This high‑energy show starts with a simple recipe, but things don’t stay simple for long. Every ingredient – eggs, cornflour, cabbage and carrot – suddenly turns into a hands‑on science experiment.
Cooking up curiosity one experiment at a time, Dr Julie asks questions, makes predictions, and shows how to think like scientists while keeping everything fun and easy to understand. Children get to join in and guess what will happen next.
Base 10 Youth Centre
10 Main South Rd, Reynella
Sunday 23 August, 2:30pm to 3:30pm
All ages
Free (register here)
SCINEMA
SCINEMA is an international science film festival that screens every August as part of National Science Week. The SCINEMA team curates a program of outstanding documentaries, dramas, short films and animations, all with great science storytelling.
The Aldinga and Noarlunga libraries will be hosting some of the films as part of their after-school clubs during the week.
National Science Week runs from 15 to 23 August. It is a program of Inspiring Australia, an Australian Government initiative to build national awareness of and skills in science.