The annual unmissable Galway Science and Technology Festival Exhibition Day is a calendar highlight for Galway students of all ages. Last Sunday’s event drew over 15,000 to the University of Galway campus for a range of activities including the Medtronic Junior Hospital, a special appearance from Jurassic dinosaurs, the return of the ever-popular Teddy Bear Hospital, up-close-and-personal encounters with exotic animals and The Bug Doctor plus a range of school exhibition stands.
The event is free to attend and includes a range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM ) demonstrations, interactive workshops and innovative displays, encouraging scientists of the future to explore the world around them and pursue careers in STEM.
Festival Manager Anne Murray was excited to see such a strong attendance for this, the largest event in Ireland during national Science Week. “It is wonderful to see such shows and workshops each year. For many families, our Exhibition Day is the absolute highlight of their year, encouraging young people to get more involved with STEM subjects in schools and to be more curious about exploring the world around us.”
With the support of sponsors and partners, including main sponsor Medtronic, this popular family event brings a collaboration of local industry, educators and supporting agencies showcasing Galway as the MedTech capital of Europe with a growing IT Hub. Each year the Festival engages with over 35,000 students with over 200 STEM demonstrations, shows and workshops in 140 primary schools and 40 post-primary schools across the city and county.
Galway Science and Technology Person of the Year 2024
The 2024 Galway Science & Technology Person of the Year Award was presented to Anthony Carey from Coláiste Muire Máthair. Anthony has been a science, biology and chemistry teacher at St. Mary’s College since 1993, inspiring students year after year with his passion for scientific curiousity.
“I have always been heavily involved in extra-curricular science activities, encouraging students to participate in events such as the BT Young Scientist, SciFest, ReelLife science and the ISTA Science Quizzes, and have been lucky enough to have students so talented as to win awards at each of them.”
The Festival is a unique event for pupils and the public and strives to make a real difference to young people as they continue their studies, often resulting in making the STEM subjects an easy choice for third level studies. The Galway Science and Technology Committee would like to express great gratitude to all the volunteers from companies, colleges, schools and the public who give their time so generously and participate both during the Festival and at the Exhibition.
The Festival would like to acknowledge the generous support of all partners and sponsors including Medtronic, University of Galway, SSE Renewables, Greencoat Renewables, Cisco, Boston Scientific, Atlantic Technical University (ATU ), TE Connectivity, Fidelity, Merit Medical, Trane Technologies / Thermo King, Mathworks, Marine Institute, SAP, Galway City Council, ARM, CLS, Aerogen, Galway County Council Mazars and IDA Ireland.
Check out highlights on social media @galwayscience or follow #GalwayScience
