WIT News
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South East Science Festival gets underway Posted: Mon, November 9, 2009 |
Almost 6,000 primary and secondary school students are set to participate in the South East Science Festival organised by Waterford Institute of Technology as part of Science Week 2009.
Places for many of the events in the five-day programme which runs until Friday were filled within two hours of booking commencing.
Science Week is promoting the relevance of science, engineering and technology in our everyday lives. Particular events have been added to this year’s programme to link with European Year of Creativity & Innovation; Darwin200 and the United Nations-designated International Year of Astronomy.
Public events for which tickets are still available include “Science of the Big Bang” in Waterford Institute of Technology at 7pm on Tuesday, November 10 when Dr Cormac O’Raifeartaigh will examine our understanding of the origins of the universe and “The Life & Legacy of Charles Darwin” in Waterford City Hall at 7pm on Wednesday, November 11 when Eoin Gill and Rebecca O’Mahony will examine Darwin’s life and works.
2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species, one of the most important works ever published. Eoin Gill who jointly manages CALMAST (the Centre for the Advancement of Learning of Maths, Science & Technology) at Waterford Institute of Technology is Darwin200 coordinator for Ireland.
Other South East Science Festival highlights are set to include “Chemical Magic!”; “Dave’s Jungle”; “Make no bones about it”; “Science saves millions”; “Life & Works of Robert Boyle”; “Magic Mathworks Travelling Circus” and “The Human Body – the Ultimate Physics Lab”.
The important role of science in solving violent and other crime will be examined in a presentation by Prof Marie Cassidy, State Pathologist whose office deals with some 300 State cases each year.
In addition, the Stardome from Armagh Planetarium will return to Waterford for the seventh consecutive year to offer young stargazers the chance to learn more about space. Dr Cas Kramer, a teaching fellow in genetics education at the University of Leicester will deliver a presentation on topics including DNA’s usefulness in criminal investigations and the genetics of ageing.
The London Science Museum will also have a strong presence at the festival with their “Feel the Force” show examining magnets and aerodynamics in an exploration of the world of forces while the museum’s team will again present the “Bubble Show” which is their most popular presentation. The show features bubbles of all sizes and looks at how certain materials change the way others behave as well as offering the chance to step inside a ‘human bubble’. A family presentation of “Bubble Show” will take place in Waterford Institute of Technology at 7pm on Thursday, November 12.
Speaking as the South East Science Festival got underway, organiser Dr Sheila Donegan, joint manager of CALMAST at Waterford Institute of Technology, said: “With events in Waterford, Dungarvan and Lismore, there is huge interest in the festival programme from schools across the region and it is now a firmly established part of the calendar at primary and second-level.
“Our future economic recovery and growth prospects rely largely on the ‘Smart Economy’ and the promotion of science, technology, engineering and maths is essential if we are to achieve this in the southeast. In the current climate, we are particularly pleased that we can continue to offer free events to thousands of people from Waterford and the surrounding region.
“While the logistics can take a lot of managing, there’s a great buzz from engaging with the young people who come through to the various presentations by Irish and British scientists. Like all of CALMAST’s work, the festival is about making maths, science and technology more accessible to young people and two of the best ways to do this are to show how central they are to our daily lives and how much fun we can all have learning how things work.”
• Further information is available at www.wit.ie while bookings can be made by calling 051-302037.
