DUBLIN’S YEAR as European city of science began last week with the launch of the Dublin City of Science programme. The coming months will see more than 160 events taking place, offering a blend of Irish culture, arts and the sciences. And yet the designation is a misnomer for the planned programme includes events taking place right across Ireland, north and south.
These include talks by Nobel prize-winning scientists, a science-themed film festival, many children’s events at centres such as the Ark in Dublin, a special series of happenings at the Science Gallery at Trinity College, theatre performances, dance and more. The goal is to highlight the best of Irish science but also to bring science to the people, to engage the public and help children and adults appreciate the wonder and excitement there is to be had in this varied subject.
The celebration of science reaches its peak when an estimated 5,000 delegates arrive in Dublin from July 11th - 15th to take part in the Euroscience Open Forum (ESOF). It ranks as Europe’s largest scientific meeting and leading scientists from across Europe and further afield will attend. The Dublin event has attracted keynote speakers such as James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, and Craig Venter who has built artificial life forms using DNA building blocks. ESOF will allow us to showcase the best of Irish science, with five days of scientific presentations and talks where the latest discoveries in the pure and social sciences will be discussed.
Dublin’s declaration as 2012’s capital of European science is something of a coup. The Government’s chief scientific adviser Prof Patrick Cunningham first raised the idea that Ireland should bid for ESOF and championed it as a way to advance Ireland’s scientific reputation abroad.
Dublin won the right to stage the 2012 event in open competition back in 2008, defeating counter bids from cities including Vienna. A biennial event, the first ESOF was held in Stockholm in 2004, with later meetings in Munich, Barcelona and most recently in Turin in 2010. Yet none of these venues described themselves as the European city of science. This initiative also fell to Prof Cunningham who viewed it as a way to engage the public and boost interest in science, maths and engineering.
In the process he has introduced new life and vibrancy into ESOF and also serves Ireland’s cause as it struggles to build a knowledge economy.