FIGURING IT ALL OUT
Little April Wilson with her dad, Luke, having fun at the Mallow Maths & Science Fair last weekend
FOR generations of schoolchildren the mere mention of the words maths and science were enough to send shivers of dread down their spines.
However, fun and entertainment were very much the order of the day last Sunday at the GAA Complex in Mallow as almost 5,000 children and adults flocked to the venue for the annual Munster Maths and Science Fair.
Now in its eighth year the fair, one of the largest of its kind in the country, saw more than 45 exhibitors from local schools, colleges, industry, research institutes and science clubs conduct an exciting array of interactive experiments and demonstrations.
John McDonnell, vice-chair of event organisers the Mallow Development Partnership (MDP), said there was “something of interest for every interest and every age bracket”.
Just as importantly the fair also showed that studying the so called STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects can open up a whole new set of future employment prospects.
“While demonstrating these subjects can be entertaining, interesting and the bedrock for technology, the fair also had the objective of encouraging young people to embrace these, which can be the pathway to stimulating career opportunities later on in life,” said Mr McDonnell.
Among the most popular exhibitors were Mallow Gardaí and the Irish Defence Forces, who showcased items including bomb suits, radios and remote controls; The Blackrock Castle Observatory, who highlighted the wonders of space and the Institute of Physics (Physics Busking) and Lifetime Labs.
Maths Week also had visitors enthralled and astounded with a range of mind-bending experiments and demonstrations.
Other exhibitors included Eli Lily, Blizzard Entertainment, UCC’s College of Science, Dairygold, Grasstec and Mallow CoderDojo.
Students from local national and secondary schools also showcased STEM projects they have been working on with Mary Immaculate College under the innovative Mallow Maths and Science School project.
“Once again the fair was a great success and provided a valuable opportunity for students to discuss with the professionals their careers working as an engineer, scientist, researcher and what subjects are needed to study for these careers,” said Mr McDonnell.