450 events taking place during Science Week from Sunday 9th November
Posted on November 6th, 2008 in DSE News
Dr. Jimmy Devins T.D, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, was at hand with students from Mary Help of Christians Girls National School in the Science Gallery in Trinity College Dublin yesterday to launch Science Week with students from Mary Help of Christians Primary School, Navan Road, Dublin. Over 90,000 people are expected to attend events across the country during Science Week Ireland 2008, which starts on Sunday 9th November and runs until Sunday November 16th.
The annual Science & Technology Fair at the Institute of Technology, Sligo will officially kick off Science Week on Sunday 9th November. User friendly labs and displays will be open to people of all ages and interests whether it is biological, chemical, mechanical or electronic.
As part of Science Week Ireland 2008, Discover Science & Engineering has organised a series of free lectures open to the public in the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin. The Science Week Lecture Series, which is already booked out, will include Stephen Attenborough from Virgin Galactic, the world’s first space tourism agency; Patrick Collison, one of the Limerick teenagers who built ‘Auctomatic’, an Internet company which was subsequently sold for millions of dollars; Gerry Johnston, Irish special effects guru who worked on films such as Saving Private Ryan and Braveheart; Professor Aubrey Manning, a prominent zoologist; and Dr Cynthia Breazeal, a robotics expert from MIT.
Discovery 2008, Cork’s Interactive Science Exhibition, runs in City Hall again this year from 16th to 20th November. Young and old will enjoy experimenting with slime, creating electronic circuits and even playing hands-free basketball at the Family Day on Sunday 16th November from 3.00pm and school groups will visit for the following three days. The highlight for 2008 will be the unveiling of Cork’s own portable planetarium, recently acquired by Blackrock Castle Observatory. Visitors to Discovery will be the first to experience this high-tech illustrated journey to the stars.
The Galway Science & Technology Festival, now in its eleventh year will run from 10th – 23rd November. Among the main highlights are the First Lego National Championships on Saturday 22nd November and the festival exhibition on Sunday 23rd November in the Galway Bay Hotel and Leisureland.
The aim of Science Week Ireland is to promote the relevance of science, engineering and technology in our everyday lives and to demonstrate the importance of these disciplines to the future development of Irish society and economy. ‘Science – Shaping Our World’ is the theme of this year’s Science Week and will illustrate that emerging technologies and the latest movements in science and engineering may influence mankind’s impact on the planet.
For a complete calendar of what is happening around the country for Science Week Ireland 2008 please visit www.scienceweek.ie
