New festival to promote the love of science
WEXFORD’S first Science Festival called WexSci will run from November 11 to 18 with events taking place all around the county.
The week-long festival is partly funded by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and led by Wexford County Council in partnership with IT Carlow, Waterford Institute of Technology, Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board, the Environmental Protection Agency and Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
The aim of WexSci is to promote science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) through a week-long festival, with activities in libraries, community and family resource centres and local schools and colleges. The organisers have promised a fun and engaging programme with something to interest people of all ages and knowledge.
Wexford has been identified in SFI research as a low intervention county in terms of STEM participation. With this in mind, the County Council and its partners have developed a festival programme to stimulate interest and debate about STEM and to encourage people to engage with science in a fun and interactive way.
The Festival has been designed to interest people of all ages, the amateur and the professional, the curious and those wishing to consider a career in science and to promote awareness and understanding of the importance of STEM in everyday life.
The festival will feature some of the best national and international scientists and researchers who will demonstrate and discuss a broad range of topics, from humanology, climate change and meteorology to code breaking and astronomy,from the transforming qualities of milk to neuroscience. There will be opportunities for the public to experience STEM in a hands-on way, to learn how to be a laboratory technician, an engineer, sports scientist, marine biologist, agronomist, immunologist, environmentalist, computer scientist or energy conservator.
A highlight is the STEM Showcase, an open day in County Hall, Carricklawn on Saturday 17 November from 10.45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Everyone is invited to visit the show, to explore the many science stands and try out interactive demonstrations. For information on Science Week events in the county visit www.sfi.ie and to obtain a brochure and book events email libraryhq@wexfordcoco.ie. or telephone 053 9196568.