MINISTER OF State for Science Dr Jimmy Devins made his acquaintance with a thorny devil stick insect yesterday as he launched Science Week, Ireland's national science festival, which takes place from November 9th-16th.
More than 90,000 people young and old are expected to attend the 450 events planned during this the 12th annual Science Week Ireland. Lectures, displays and exhibitions will take place in venues all over the State, with an emphasis on making science interesting and fun.
"The whole point of Science Week is to make science and engineering accessible to primary and secondary school students," Dr Devins said yesterday.
Sharing Trinity College Dublin's Science Gallery launch venue with students from Mary Help of Christians Primary School, Navan Road, Dublin,
Dr Devins pointed out that they represented the next generation of Irish scientists. "The strategy is to increase the number of PhDs and post graduates, so it is very important we get the students to understand and be interested in science."
A science fair this Sunday at Sligo Institute of Technology will kick off the week. On Monday UCD will host a science festival for 4th-, 5th- and 6th-year students. On Tuesday, the university will hold a science careers and information evening.
NUI Maynooth has planned a week of talks on topics such as Why your Pet Can Never Know You and The Rise of the Robots.
Letterkenny IT will host Belfast's W5 travelling science show on Monday and next Thursday has a presentation on the "cool" seas around us - cool both in temperature and also because of the interesting creatures in it. Cork City Hall will host the Discovery 2008 interactive science exhibition, which takes place from November 16th-20th. Galway will attract an estimated 18,000 to its annual science fair and associated workshops, running from November 10th-23rd. A full listing of scheduled events is available at www.scienceweek.ie
