Infinite possibilities of science explored at upcoming Cork Science Festival
Lab coats at the ready! Cork Science Festival will explore the infinite possibilities of science at this year’s event later this month to help increase engagement and interest in science subjects from a young age! A main partner of Science Week Ireland and one of the largest S.T.E.A.M engagement events in the Irish science calendar, Cork Science Festival will bring a world of possibility into venues and schools around Cork from the 13th to 20th November.
Organised by real life researchers, science educators and industry experts, the festival will showcase the best Cork has to offer across science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
This year’s programme will feature a packed calendar of free public events including a Celebrate Science Family Day, fascinating expert talks, behind the scenes science tours, industry open days, lab visits, workshops, action packed live science shows, at home activities, and a school’s programme throughout the week!
It’s all taking place in venues and schools throughout Cork – all of which can be delivered in person for the first time in years. Centres of science including UCC, MTU, and Tyndall will also open their doors to the public to showcase their scientific endeavours!
One of the big highlights this year is the Celebrate Science Family Day taking place from 11am until 5pm on Sunday 13th November at the Western Gateway Building in UCC. This free to attend family science day features a combination of sit-down science shows, hands on workshops and drop-in tabletop activity stands.
Two live science shows will take place during the day! ‘Dr. Brain’s Fun-believable Science Show’ goes live at 12.30, 14.00 and 15.30. Laugh and learn as Dr. Brain shows young audience members juggling and circus tricks, explains how they are done, and then brings the audience members up to try out the science. The whole family will have wacky fun, all while learning about gravity, centripetal force, optical illusions, and balance! The other live science show not to be missed is titled ‘Its Only Water!’ Taking place at 11.30, 12.30, 14.00, 15.30 demonstrations and volunteers to help, the Science Made Simple presenters will show how to recognise and name properties of water – freezing, boiling, melting, condensing, dissolving, and evaporating and will talk about the states of matter – solid, liquid and gas. They will illustrate how water has a chemical formula and how water and the objects in it are affect by forces – floating and sinking, gravity. And be prepared to get wet! Audience members (especially adults) may get a little wetter than they bargain for! Both live science shows are free but advance booking is essential to secure a spot! Please arrive 15 minutes in advance to facilitate getting seated.
Also taking place during the Fun Day in UCC are hands on workshops. Facilitated by Learn it, Irelands LEGO Education Partner. Families will build and program a Lego Robot during We Do 2.0 Junior LEGO Robotics while a session called Machines and Mechanisms will use LEGO education resources to predict, estimate, observe, measure, and record investigations.
StemWizz will offer mini robot building workshops for children aged 7 plus. The sessions take place at 11.30,12.30,14.00 and 15.00 at the Western Gateway Building and will explore concepts as, Gears & Motors, Pulley Systems, Alternative Power, Electrical Circuits, Magnetic Concepts, Engineering Concepts, Hydraulics and more. Each workshop lasts 45 minutes and should be booked in advance.
Learn about the exciting world of living things, cells and DNA at an interactive hands-on workshop titled Fantastic DNA facilitated by CELL Explorers and SFI. Enthusiastic trained science explainers will show how to individually extract DNA from bananas! This workshop takes place at 13.30, 14.30 and 15.30 must be booked in advance and is recommended for 8- to 12-year-olds!
For older students aged 11 to 12 years a Coding Workshop is sure to be a big hit. The workshop aims to teach children basic Python coding using the Minecraft platform. The Python code delivered will have a Magic theme, making the effect from the code output like Harry Potter’s spell. Booking is essential as places are limited to 20 per session, taking place at 11.30, 12.30 and 13.30 in G20 of the Western Gateway Building.
Two more drop-in workshops (no need to book) have been newly added for Celebrate Science Family Day. Join the Cork Electronics Industry Association for a plug and play session where kids will learn how to build exciting electronic experiments – safely and easily using the Electronic Brainbox Kit to build exciting electronic experiments and create lights, motors, burglar alarms, radios and more! A drop-in hands-on workshop by Current Chemistry Investigators (CCI) will also take place throughout the day on 13th November, sparking conversations about the science of green energy storage! Experiments will include making hydrogen from water to use in a fuel cell to move a toy car and making a battery from coins and aluminium foil to light up a little LED bulb!
Also new for this year is something really cool (sub-zero by about -78◦ in fact!). As part of the Celebrate Science Family Fun Day there will be a dry ice lab showcasing fun interactive dry ice experiments from the Nutty Scientist team, these take place at 11.00, 12.15 and 14.45 and must be registered online in advance to secure your slot.
Rounding off the Family Day will be fascinating activity stands by Cork’s Science and Research community including: Ireland’s Fossil Heritage, CONNECT, INFANT, IPIC, Junior Achievement Ireland, Fota Wildlife Park, Vistamilk, Environmental Research Institute, Insight & CRT-AI and Confirm Smart Manufacturing. These are a great way to inspire the next generation of young scientists and show real careers in science at work!
Also taking place during Cork Science Festival and available for public participation will be an event titled ‘Skin Deep: The connection between skin health & the microbiome’ which will take place in Hayfield Manor on Wednesday 16th, 7PM. This event will be hosted by Kathriona Devereux and should be of great appeal to anyone interested in health and beauty.
Ensuring everyone gets a chance to get involved, families can also sign up to participate in at home science activities from the APC Microbiome Ireland and Science Week Ireland. Further details of virtual and downloadable events which can be participated in from home are available at www.corksciencefestival.ie/clickandplay
A major focus for Cork Science Festival in 2022 continues to be the extensive school engagement programme which is rolled out annually at primary and post-primary schools around the city and county. In school visits will include interactive sessions including the Animal Roadshow and Dinosaurs Down Under. Wonderstruck will show 3rd to 6th class students how to make Compressed Air Rockets or Fan Powered Cars. Another workshop titled ‘Up, Up and Away’ will demonstrate kite making. There is science learning and fun for younger students too as Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd classes will enjoy a Junior Science Workshop given by the Lismore Heritage Centre mobile science team!
Heralding a thrilling Cork Science Festival for 2022 programme co-ordinator Mervyn Horgan said: “Cork Science Festival looking forward to bringing the wonder of discovery, exploration, and invention to the fore during Cork Science Week. We know it just takes one spark to ignite curiosity and creativity in the STEAM subjects so that is our goal again this year! We hope to inspire future astronauts, astrologers, chemists, physicists, biologists, engineers, and researchers! Through our diverse programme we invite everyone, young and old to come and experience science.”
Launching Science Week Nationally, Minister Harris said: “I am delighted to launch Science Week 2022. It is fantastic to see the conversations we had during Creating Our Future continue and to see them inform further conversations during events such as Science Week. As we consider the role that science plays in all of our lives, and how it affects our future, Science Week provides us with an opportunity to engage with science in informative and creative ways. I would encourage everyone to get involved, attending Science Week events and use your voice to help us overcome the challenges our country and our world faces.”
Cork Science Festival is supported by Science Foundation Ireland and is part of Science Week Ireland. All events must be booked in advance as spaces are limited. For full details on the festival and bookings for free public events see www.corksciencefestival.ie. Additional events are being added to the calendar over coming days and the option to make a booking will follow.