35,000 students to attend Science and Technology Festival

Galway will once again play host to a staggering 35,000 primary and secondary school students from across the city and county, as they packed out 180 free events at Ireland’s biggest Science & Technology Festival.

The 19th Galway Science & Technology Festival is by far the largest event of its kind, among the eight counties throughout Ireland hosting Festivals.

To put that into context, a recent Science Foundation Ireland report highlighted that while 5% of the Irish population live in Galway City and County, an astounding 24% of activities during National Science Week take place in Galway.

The 2016 Festival – which runs from November 14 to 20 – will explore and celebrate the theme Science Rising in this the International Year of Global Understanding, exploring how the local affects the global.

Events will take place during the two weeks in schools, colleges, research institutes, companies and community centres across Galway City and County.

RTÉ 2FM presenter Rick O’Shea officially launched the 19th Galway Science & Technology Festival, hosted by the main sponsor Medtronic Parkmore in their Customer Innovation Centre this week.

That also saw second class students from Scoil Chaitríona Junior, Renmore, launched a space rocket that they recently created for Space Week, while Transition Year students from Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Claregalway spoke about their enthusiasm for STEM research and enjoyed a tour of Medtronic’s Customer Innovation Centre.

A county launch followed at Garbally College, Ballinasloe with students from Ardscoil Mhuire, Creagh National School and Clontuskert National School attending.

And that’s just a taster for the packed programme that lies ahead next month, capitalizing on Galway’s growing reputation as a hub for the Gaming Industry.

The Festival will see Brenda Romero of Romero Games give a talk to Transition Year students in NUI Galway, while James Soper will bring his new show Juiced: The Million Volt Electricity, and Dr Ken returns with numbers, patterns, shapes and mathematical trickery.

Primary school students can look forward to a new STEM workshop Nature’s Power Energy in Action at Brigit’s Garden investigating solar, hydro, wind and biomass technologies. Also new this year is Connemara based Maths Academy’s fun and creative Sound, Music & Maths workshop, and Learn It’s Lego Education Workshop will introduce robotics to young children.

NUI Galway’s scientists and engineers are providing an array of workshops, lab demonstrations and events both in schools and on-campus. School visits include the new Festival show Build a Burglar Alarm teaching the principles of electronics and programming. Join members of the University Surgical Society to Try your Skills as a Surgeon, or learn about the functioning of the human heart and the role of biomedical engineering in CURÁM’s How to Mend a Broken Heart.

GMIT will open their doors to secondary school students for a fantastic STEM Day event on Thursday, November 17, which will feature a workshop The Science behind Sport combining sport and science to explain how the two interact and how science is now central to an athlete’s performance.

The Marine Institute in Oranmore will once again open their doors and host an Open Day for Transition Year students on Wednesday, November 23, where students will be invited to meet the scientists and see the work of the Marine Institute.

Other events include Ireland’s only Outdoor Classroom in Terryland Forest Park on Saturday, November 19, at 12pm. Visitors can enjoy a practical demonstration on ploughing a field and the scientific benefits it brings to families and also learn about local habitats, conservation and biodiversity.

Tours to exhibitions and museums include New Art, Old Computers exhibition taking place in Insight Centre’s DERI Café, Dangan, an exhibition of paintings of vintage computers by artist Red Burke from November 23 to 25.

Pádraic Pearse, the Murder Machine & Galway Schools 1912-1921 exhibition is a photographic gallery of Galway schools during that period from the BEO digital local heritage archives project. It will be open on Friday, November 18, at 12pm in Galway County Council.

Teachers can book a free school workshop or show by completing the booking form on the website www.galway science.ie

Booking details for events at NUI Galway and GMIT are also available on the website.

The final day Festival Exhibition takes place on Sunday, November 27, from 10am- 6pm. Tickets for shows and workshops will be available on Eventbrite from Saturday, November 19, at 11am.