Science Week Ireland is about to kick off. Expect the usual eclectic mix of events around the country, writes Rebecca Little.
The seventh annual Science Week Ireland is about to begin, bringing hundreds of exhibitions, lectures and demonstrations around the country between this Sunday and Sunday week. "It is really about raising the awareness and interest in science and providing people with the opportunity to see how interesting it can be," says Martha Loe of Forfás, the organisation behind the festival, whose full schedule means some events spill over into the rest of the month.
With topics ranging from astronomy and physics to biology and chemistry, it was created to combat the declining numbers of students willing to pursue science subjects. "We hope to increase interest and uptake," says Loe.
Young inventors help start the week at Enterprise Ireland Innovation Day. Almost 700 1st- to 4th-year students entered the invention competition; the eight finalists will be exhibiting their concepts at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin from 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Among them are a kinetic-energy skateboard that gives an extra boost on ramps, a litter bin that rewards users with shopping tokens and a robotic fridge that delivers drinks. The designer of the winning entry will receive a trip to an inventions exhibition in Switzerland.
Science Week Ireland focuses many of its events on schools and children. Primary schools will experimenting with light, for example. And to encourage families to get involved, family days are being held at Galway Atlantaquaria, Dingle OceanWorld and Killarney National Park.
Elsewhere there will be nature walks, kite-making demonstrations and The Big Bug Show, a touring menagerie that Lee Gibbs, its British host, uses to teach children about insects. It will visit libraries around Dublin.
There are events for adults, too. The Royal Irish Academy and institutes of technology are hosting lectures on topics as diverse as genetic engineering, environmental science and "the magic of reactive adhesives" (one at the Institute of Technology Tallaght).
The first of the academy's two lectures is tomorrow. Called The Bionic Man, it will explore the use of silicon technology to replace biological systems, such as microchips that are used as artificial retinas and artificial hearts that use only nanowatts of power. Prof Chris Toumazou of Imperial College London will give the talk at the academy, on Dawson Street in Dublin, at 7 p.m. You should call 01-6764222 to confirm a seat.
In Pan To Pandemic: Animal To Human Infections, at the academy on Tuesday evening, the oncologist Prof Robin Weiss will discuss animals as the source of human diseases such as AIDS and whether new procedures such as animal to human transplants will unleash new infections.
Other lectures include Biology And The Movies: Science Fiction and Science Fact (Dundalk Institute of Technology, Wednesday), Attack Of The Killer Microbes (NUI Maynooth, Thursday) and The Search For Life On Mars (Blanchardstown Library, Friday). As Loe says, there's something for everybody.
A complete schedule of Science Week Ireland events is available at www.science.ie