MyScience.ie

During Science Week Ireland 2011 some extraordinary elements took to the streets of Dublin to let people know about the “Chemistry of Life” – the theme of this year’s Science Week…

This year’s Science Week will feature public talks by two astronauts. Christer Fuglesang from the European Space Agency is one of the guest speakers in the Science Week Lecture series. He will be giving a talk at Belvedere College in Dublin on 17 November about his biological experiments on the International Space Station. He will also be at the National Gallery in Dublin the following day to talk about “Space Careers – Life and Science in Space”.

And NASA astronaut Greg Johnson will be appearing at various locations around the country, including events at the CIT Nexus Centre in Cork, DIT in Dublin, the University of Limerick and the Institute of Technology in Carlow. He’s also in Ireland for the activation of the big dish at the National Space Centre, and to meet the winner of the “Name the Big Dish” competition.

The 32-metre dish will be the only large radio telescope available to students for educational purposes in Europe.

Read more on about these and other space and astronomy events on Science.ie, and find more events near you on the Science Week website.

When 16-year-old Alexander Amini won a first prize at the 2011 EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) he was the latest in a long line of Irish winners. Irish contestants of the BT Young Scientist (BTYS) Exhibition have a remarkable record of going on to win in Europe.

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Imagine being able to tweet, email, Google, take notes, photos or play Tetris while walking, talking, shopping, cooking (or any daily activity) without having to stop what you are doing?

Wearable computing is a lifestyle change that augments your life without interrupting it according to Thad Starner (founder of Contextual Computing Group at Georgia Tech’s College of Computing) who has worn his own customised wearable computer continuously since 1993.

In the video below Thad Starner gives us a glimpse of what a future integrated with technology could look like, while speaking at the Atlantic Corridor STEM conference in Tullamore in March 2011.

The recent Atlantic Corridor STEM education conference that took place in Tullamore, invited second level students to voice their own opinions about STEM education and how it might be improved. The annual conference which trialed this approach last year, proved it to be a great success. The format involves running student workshops in parallel to the stakeholder conference, with both contingents merging in the afternoon to share their thinking.

At this event, students, teachers, industry representatives and policy makers come together to discuss how STEM could be made more engaging for young people.  Such events are a regular occurrence these days with governments globally trying to encourage more students to pursue STEM at third level and beyond, and those with invested interests trying to find workable solutions. However, it is unusual to see students given such an open platform and an opportunity to have their own say.

From the below video it can be seen why this is an effective approach and how more of this collaboration is needed.  Here the students themselves discuss issues concerning the promotion of STEM to young people,  and the conversation is intelligently informed by their participation.

Sarah Baird is a member of the Arizona Centre for STEM Education, who has received an award for her work in maths teaching with children  from President Obama –  the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. According to Sarah how we are currently teaching our children to learn maths is the equivalent of teaching them “ a bunch of words and never asking them to read a book.”

See the video below of Sarah Baird at the Atlantic Corridor conference on STEM education in Tullamore last month giving us the inside track on how she is changing the perceptions of maths and giving students (pre-school to adults) the freedom and flexibility to be critical thinkers.

Well known mathematician, author and broadcaster Marcus du Sautoy, has launched a competition asking people to help reveal the hidden mathematics of their city. Anyone can enter and the deadline is the 3rd May.

The competition invites you to create a mini site, with a virtual walking tour of your city, outlining examples of maths in the iconic buildings or landmarks in your surroundings.  Photos, videos or or podcasts can all be used. For more information visit https://www.mathsinthecity.com or watch the video below.

There has been much interest in maths education in Ireland recently, with educators and policy makers looking for new ways to make mathematics relevant and real to young people. A valuable online resource has  come to our attention, which profiles over 40 fascinating careers where a knowledge of maths is vital. It looks at careers that use maths that are inspirational, fulfilling and often fun. The website http://weusemath.com is a joint effort between the Mathematical Association of America and the Mathematics Department of BYU in Utah.

The result is a refreshing look at the application of maths in the real world, and how it can open doors to working as an astronaut, animator, air traffic controller, forensic analyst, climatologist, or political scientist, as well as the more well known fields that require mathematical knowledge such as chemistry, electrical engineering and computer science.

Outlining the pay rates for these diverse careers is an eye opener for many students (did you know that in the US a cryptanalyst can earn up to $112,780 dollars per year?). The site also has an interesting resource area for teachers, including videos such as the one below. If we are to encourage more young people to think about pursing careers that require maths, we need to present the opportunities it offers in just as engaging a way as this.

A free public lecture will take place in the Mahony Hall,  The Helix, DCU on Thursday 14th April at 7pm, by cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko. Entitled ‘Exploring the final frontier: Fifty Years on’ the lecture will mark the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight by Yuri Gargarin, while Kornienko will also discuss the six months he spent living on the International Space Station. The event is being organised by the Russian Alliance, The Russian Embassy, The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies and Dublin City University.

Tickets are available by emailing cosmonaut2011@gmail.com and stating the number of tickets required and the names of those attending. Children over 12 years are also welcome. Places are limited so will be allocated on a first come basis only.

For more information http://www.dcu.ie/president/finalfrontier.shtml

Last Sunday Discover Science & Engineering took to the streets to enjoy the festivities of the St Patrick’s weekend in Dublin, and entertained young and old with science shows at the Big Day Out in Merrion Square.

The DSE Science Zone held science shows with Paul McCrory, offered fun maths workshops and featured folk from Galway Atlantiquaria, Dublin Zoo and SEAI. From the photos below you can see there was lots of interaction, fun and wonder to be had.

The Big Day Out gives DSE a chance to talk to families about how they can introduce their children to science and maths in a fun way.

Surprise, joy and wonderment for one young person

Working it out at the Big Day Out

Playing the game of Safe Queens

Playing a game provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Maths workshop at the Big Day Out 2011

Fun with Paul McCrory and his science show

Admiring some creepy crawlies at the Big Day Out 2011

DSE marquee for Big Day Out 2011

Rubic Cube robot at work