The 11th Robert Boyle Summer School opens on Thursday and runs until Sunday June 25th, with many events in Waterford city and in Boyle’s birthplace, Lismore.
The theme for this year’s festival is “science writing/writing science” but it also includes events for the culturally curious – those with an interest in science, history, culture, debate and discussion.
Boyle, regarded as the founder of modern chemistry, was born at Lismore Castle in 1627 and died in England in 1691.
This year’s gathering opens with an event in Waterford City Hall on Thursday evening to celebrate the songs and science from James Joyce’s Ulysses. There are more than 300 songs, poems and musical pieces mentioned in Ulysses, and Joyce’s musical talents are well known. What is less well known is that he has a great deal of fun with science and maths in Ulysses.
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Darina Gallagher, director of the James Joyce Centre, will perform songs from Ulysses, while Eoin Gill of the South East Technological University (SETU) and others will read and interpret the science.
Friday’s morning programme includes sessions with Prof Michael Hunter on the writings of Boyle and Dr Ann-Maria Walsh on correspondence between his sisters. The afternoon features presentations from artist Nuala Clarke, giving her perspective on reading science, and Prof Jim Malone providing a scientist’s perspective on art.
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A new event on Friday evening will be in Waterford City in the form of Boyle-in Points, an entertaining gameshow chaired by RTÉ Late Date presenter Cathal Murray, who will be challenging panellists to “tell fact from faked”. Boyle was, arguably, most famous for Boyle’s Law, which states that, at a fixed temperature, the volume of gas is inversely proportional to the pressure exerted by the gas.
Summer school participants will be back in Lismore on Saturday for discussion on writing science for the public, which includes contributions from Prof Peter J Bowler on popular science writing in the 20th Century and from Dr Brian Trench on Mary Mulvihill and the development of science writing in Ireland.
Saturday afternoon’s programme will feature science in fiction with Marianne Lee, author of A Quiet Tide, and Andrew Hughes, whose novel The Coroner’s Daughter is the One Dublin One Book choice for 2023.
Eoin Gill, director of Calmast, the STEM Engagement Centre at SETU and summer school curator, will deliver a lighthearted assessment of Sherlock Holmes as scientist and outline his creator Arthur Conan Doyle’s links to Lismore. The social highlight is an evening at Lismore Castle where delegates get an opportunity to meet speakers.
The summer school is organised by Calmast – the STEM Engagement Centre at SETU – and Lismore Heritage Centre. It was established to commemorate the life and works of Robert Boyle, to examine the role of science in society and to assert its place in culture. It is supported by Science Foundation Ireland and Waterford City & County Council.
