One of the most popular festivals for young and old, the Galway Science and Technology Festival, has returned to Galway this month.
Kicking off this week, it runs until November 21 as part of Science Foundation Ireland’s National Science Week.
This year it will incorporate both in-person and online events - all with its trademark sense of fun and excitement to humans of all ages.
Now in its 24th year, the festival continues to inspire and motivate Galway to be curious about the world, and to nurture an interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM ).
The festival is sponsored by Medtronic, local multi-national and indigenous companies, third level institutes and local government and government agencies, and this year offers all primary schools in Galway city and county the chance to participate in a range of workshops, talks and events.
This year's theme is ‘Creating our Future’, encouraging input from young people and their families, and the general public, on innovative ways to improve our city and our planet. It is part of the wider government-led project inviting people to submit their ideas, big and small, on how research can build a better future for all.
Public Talks
The festival will host several events for the general public. There will be a panel discussion on ‘Insecure Ireland: what has happened to our energy supply?’ in the Black Box Theatre, Galway, on Tuesday November 16 at 7pm. The discussion will be moderated by journalist Lorna Siggins and will include speakers from IBEC, NUI Galway, UCC and the Government to discuss the security of Ireland’s energy supply, the future of new, renewable energy sources, the rising costs of energy, and the growing challenge of energy poverty. Tickets are €5 and available through the Town Hall Theatre.
Dr Barry Fitzgerald is back with ‘Science of Spider-Man‘, describing the science behind the fantastic powers of the iconic superhero character. This event will include a screening of a superhero movie (to be announced ) in An Pálás cinema on Tuesday, November 17, starting at 7pm. Tickets available from An Pálás Cinema.
The ‘Science of Sea Swimming‘ in the Black Box Theatre on Thursday November 18 at 8pm will feature award-winning surfer Easkey Britton, physicist Jessamyn Fairfield and swim coach Caitriona Lynch. They will discuss the link between the moon and the tides, our connection to the ocean, and how to engineer your way to the perfect swim technique. Tickets are €10 and available through the Town Hall Theatre.
Paul Mee, festival chair, says he would encourage everyone to get involved in the events centred around the theme of 'Creating our Future'.
"We are thrilled to be able to place more than 500 free individual events in local schools thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. Our mission is to educate people about the world we live in and inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists.”
Schools Programme
The school’s programme will see some 270 schools benefiting from workshops, talks and demonstrations that are provided free to the schools.
“People more than ever, are conscious of the importance of science and technology for their future,” says Anne Murray, festival manager.
“We aim to provide the opportunity to participate in hands-on interactive workshops, where schoolchildren and families get to work on experiments themselves and be inspired and curious as they get to test and experiment with different elements."
Primary school workshops feature “Something Sciencey” with Jane McLoughlin from November 15 to 19, with a different theme each day to include rockets, gravity, light, materials, and heat. Other primary school workshops include ‘Fantastic DNA in a Box’ by Cell Explorers, ‘Colourful Science’ by GMIT, Scientific Sue’s ‘Science of Dragon Show’, ‘Killaloe Exploration Dome’ and ‘Battle of the Bots’ by STEMBook. Schools are also invited to attend workshops and tours in Galway Atlantaquaria, Brigit’s Garden and Galway City Museum.
Secondary school students can participate in coding workshops, talks on ‘Science of Superheroes’ by Dr Barry Fitzgerald, learn about bugs and spiders with the ‘Bug Doctor’, Dr Michel Dugon, science demonstration by Declan Holmes and take part in STEM workshops by Brigit’s Garden and STEMBook.
Career Stories
The Career Stories series will feature local scientists and engineers talking to secondary school students about their career path, aiming to inspire them for a career in STEM. In addition, Genesys and NUI Galway will advise career guidance teachers on computing and engineering study and career options at an online event on Friday November 19.
Art Competition
Students are invited to submit a ‘Creating our Future’ art piece to [email protected] to be in with a chance to win some great prizes. This art competition is supported by the Creative Ireland Programme and Galway City Council. Closing date for Friday entries is Friday November 12, with winners to be announced on November 19.
Youth Forum
On Friday November 19, there will be a gathering of students from Galway city’s secondary schools to discuss a Reimagining of Galway city. They will discuss findings of a survey compiled by the students of Galway Community College as part of their involvement in the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme which focuses on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, promoting young people’s participation in democratic life and their hope for the future. “ Creating our Future reimagining our Cities” in conjunction with the Galway National Park City initiative will be hosted by renowned environmentalist Duncan Stewart.
Tree Planting
As part of the festival, Galway Community College is also organising tree planting days at Lough Atalia where they will be joined by volunteers from the Dominican College and primary schools supported by the Galway National Park City initiative in planting native trees as part of a rewilding programme.
Science on Screen
The Science on Screen Festival Ireland 2021 will screen two films during the festival.
‘Cooked: Survival By Zip Code’ is a feature film which explores the ways in which class, race and zip code predetermine our chances of survival during environmental crises and ‘Science in Exile’ | TWAS is a short documentary following the stories of four scientists in developing countries, committed to a life of research but recent violence has threatened their lives and forced them to flee their homeland.
For full details on all events visit www.galwayscience.ie
