NUI Galway is calling all wannabe engineers to participate in a free full-day family event, Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day, which will take place this Saturday as part of Engineers Week. The event will run from 10am to 4pm in the university's Alice Perry Engineering Building.
The family fun day is part of the Engineers Week 2019 which celebrates engineering across Ireland, and runs from March 2 to 8. The day will feature science and engineering shows, movie screenings, workshops, and hands-on activities that will inspire young (and older ) people.
Attendees of all ages can engage with the Ireland’s Ingenious Engineers show by Scientific Sue and explore the wonderful scientific discoveries and engineering feats of some hugely talented Irish scientists over a period of 350 years. Designing (probably ) the best drinking chocolate in the world, creating a cloud in a bottle, exploring colour changing vegetables, making ice-cream in a baggie, and sending rockets sky high are just a few of the creative demonstrations that will be used by Scientific Sue on her historical journey.
The Focus on Forces show will investigate compressive and tensile strength — using forces to escape from jail, or sit on a bed of nails. Magnetic force will be explored, along with static and current electricity, and a look at the fastest way to inflate the airplane slide used for emergency evacuations.
Families are encouraged to build their own wind turbine, investigate where water comes from and where it goes, explore the vast range of chemicals used in our daily lives (which typically end up going down our drain and into our environment ), interact with CoderDojo Ninjas to learn about programming, explore the GEEC: Galway Energy Efficient Car, relax at the free LEGO play area, or learn about our rich engineering heritage. These and many other activities showing the world of civil, environmental, mechanical, biomedical, and electronic engineering, and information technology will be available on the day.
Families can watch Dream Big: Engineering Our World narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, which celebrates the human creativity behind engineering marvels big and small, from the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots, solar cars, and smart, sustainable cities, and show how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways.
“Engineering is in every aspect of our lives," said Professor Peter McHugh, Dean of the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway. "It allows us to live, communicate, travel, work, play, stay safe and healthy. By taking maths and science from the lab, engineers dream of, invent, design, and build things that change the reality and future of all human beings.”
Dr Jamie Goggins from the School of Engineering at NUI Galway and the MaREI Centre said: “Children are natural engineers. They love to design and build things, using whatever they can get their hands on. With knowledge, innovation, and creativity engineers change the reality and future of all human beings. Join us for the Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day and explore engineering through exciting and fun hands-on activities and shows, as well as meeting with practicing engineers to better learn about the world around us, understand the role of engineering in our lives and its impact on our future.”
All details about the family fun day are available at www.nuigalway.ie/engineersweek, and bookings of free tickets can also be made through the website. Tickets can be booked in advance for some shows, but it will also be possible to attend shows without booking on a first come, first served basis on the day.
