Archive for month: November, 2024

Science Week in the midlands started a little early on November 8th and has provided 9 days of amazing science activities every day and night across the region since then. It concluded on Saturday November 16th with an event exploring ADHD in women and girls and another event with cold water swimming Guinness World Record holder  Nuala Moore.

Over the course of the week, people of all ages attended events across the four midlands counties of Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath. Those attending got up close and personal with snakes, learnt how to explore the night’s sky, met a Guinness World Record Holder and bestselling authors and a number of TV presenters including Simon Watt of Channel 4. All events were free of charge as part of the Midlands Science Festival, supported by Research Ireland as part of national Science Week.

Highlights included two music concerts exploring the science of music with  Bohemian Strings. Packed crowds in Westmeath and Laois learnt about everything from the physics to the psychology of music while singing up for science and hearing tunes such as Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters” played like you’ve never heard it before. Young people in Longford learnt about life in Antarctica and climate change with Dr Niamh Shaw and took part in Turing Tumble workshops with Midlands Science. Offaly hosted a number of events including a night with leading SETI [Search for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence] researcher Prof John Eliot and a night exploring the science of cats, big and small with Gerry Creighton of Dublin Zoo and Dr Clare Meade of the Cat Hospital.

Jackie Gorman, CEO of Midlands Science commented ; “it was very encouraging to see such great interest in a wide range of topics and science in the past week. We always enjoy seeing people of all ages coming along to our events, with family and friends. Science is important for work and education but it’s also important for life and being able to understand the world around us, so we encourage everyone to continue to be curious. Whether it’s being able to understand your tabby cat a little better or understand how gardening choices can help biodiversity or how to read the night’s sky through astronomy, science can help and bring a lot of joy to your life.”

The work of the organisation also featured as Gaelige this year with Midlands Science Trustee Dr Aisling Twohill appearing on the popular podcast Gael Gals and Raidió na Gaeltachta and CEO Jackie Gorman featured on TG4 Nuacht Cúla4 with students from Scoil na gCeithre Máistrí. Dúirt Jackie Gorman “Bhí go leor gníomhaíochtaí éagsúla ag an Midlands Science Festival. Bhí gníomhaíochtaí spraíúla ann do theaghlaigh agus imeachtaí suimiúla do dhaoine fásta. Áiríodh leis seo eolaíocht na snámha agus gailf! Tá gach imeacht agus gníomhaíocht saor in aisce.”

The work of Midlands Science goes on all year round with a free outreach programme to primary and secondary schools and other groups and number of special projects and the organisation reaches over 16,000 directly each year. Its work is supported by a range of corporate, philanthropic and public sources and all activities are provided free of charge. Its dedicated team of staff, specialist contractors and volunteers are all passionate about the difference that science can be make to society and more information can be found on www.midlandsscience.ie

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Photo L to R Pauline Nally, Criodan O’Murchu and Jackie Gorman of Midlands Science.

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Regeneration of deer antlers takes place in a well-defined yearly cycle: in most species, in spring the previous hard antler is cast from the permanent bony protuberance; the stump wound heals rapidly and wound healing is followed by the commencement of new (soft) antler regeneration; there follows in late spring and early summer, a period of rapid elongation (up to 2 cm/day); at this stage, the antler is wrapped with special pelage, known as the “velvet skin”; in late summer/early autumn, the process of calcification starts to accelerate, blood supply to the velvet skin ceases and the velvet is shed to expose hard bony antlers for the mating season; the hard antler is retained over winter and cast in the next spring to trigger a new round of antler regeneration.

Science Week is a national celebration of science with hundreds of events for people of all ages taking place across Ireland. Science Week 2024 will be taking place from the 10th – 17th November.   

The theme for Science Week 2024 is harnessing the power of regeneration. The decisions we make today will greatly impact future generations and so it is important to take learnings from the past to inform our decisions for the future.   From protecting our natural world, adopting more sustainable approaches to energy supply, embracing technological advancements and investigating new solutions to safeguard our health, it’s time to reimagine the way we engage with the world around us and enhance our collective strengths.    

This Science Week, there is something for every generation with events happening all over the country and in the midlands through various activities organised by Midlands Science. From astronomy nights to an event exploring swifts and others exploring cold water swimming and gardening, one focus is regenerating our  relationship with nature. Research from the American Psychological Association has shown that spending time in nature can improve our cognitive function and research by the USA National Recreation & Parks association showed that time in nature can reduce stress. This makes sense when you think about time spent in nature and such connections with nature may help us to develop regenerative attitudes which benefit the earth.

We become more conscious of actions we can take that are regenerative such as becoming more engaged in the circular economy. A circular economy is a way of using resources that minimizes waste, pollution, and environmental impact. In a circular economy, waste and primary raw material use are minimised by maintaining the value of products and materials for as long as possible. This requires diverse solutions informed by everything from ecology to social science, demanding action as well as attitudinal change.

Nearly 60% of those who live on earth, over 4 billion people, live in cities. Some people spend much of their time front of a screen, with Reportal estimating that the average internet user spends 6 hours and 35 minutes online every day. Reconnecting with nature and becoming more aware of attitudes and actions which can support regeneration can be a very impactful thing to do.

Some actions to consider.

Find nature wherever you are – it’s all around you. It could be a garden or park, even in urban locations where it can be harder to see nature, it’s in courtyards and window boxes. Look closer and look for the unexpected such as an urban fox [if you see one make sure to record it on the National Biodiversity Centre App as they are studying urban foxes in Ireland right now].

Get out into nature – visit green spaces and blue spaces. This can lift your mood and use all your senses to connect. The sound of birdsong, the smell of meadowsweet in the heat of summer, the taste of blackberries from the hedgerow, these are all small sensory moments of joy.

Exercise in nature – exercise outside, a walk or a run or a swim in the lake or the sea. The experience of being outside is totally different than the gym or the pool. If you can leave your headphones at home and listen to the sounds around you.

Combine nature and creativity – if you are interested in writing or drawing or painting, notice the nature around you and maybe undertake some of your creative activities outside. Think of Wordsworth as he wandered lonely as a cloud encountering the golden field of daffodils.

Protect nature – become a voice for nature through your actions and choices. Recycling, using public transport, being part of a community clean up, letting policy makers now you can about nature.

You can find out lots more about nature on www.biodiversityireland.ie

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Dr Clare O’Connell and Petra Lexova of Bohemian Strings getting ready to Sing Up For Science !!

As part of the Midlands Science Festival, Midlands Science is having a special free concert in Portlaoise on November 13th, kindly hosted by Laois Libraries. Jackie Gorman, CEO of Midlands Science commented ; “science has shown that music can change our mood and this  is associated with dopamine release in our brain – a neurotransmitter accountable for feelings of pleasure and reward. A McGill University study involving PET scans has shown that dopamine is released during peak enjoyment moments in music, similar to how it responds when we eat something delicious or experience something exciting.”

The free music concert with Bohemian Strings will have everyone’s feet tapping in no time as MC for the evening Dr Claire O’Connell will explain between tunes what is happening in our brains as we listen to music and why heavy metal lovers and classical music lovers are the two types of music fans who are most alike in terms of personality and many other fascinating music facts. From AC/DC to Vivaldi, you’ll be singing up for science in no time. Bohemian Strings have played with everyone from the Beach Boys to Mick Flannery and Midlands Science is delighted to welcome them to Laois for this special Science Week event.

The Midlands Science Festival is supported by Research Ireland and is part of a national network of festivals during Science which encourage people of all ages to engage with science.

All events are free but must be booked in advance on www.midlandsscience.ie