'Science of Chocolate' event a big hit this year
The ‘Science of Chocolate’ and ‘Joint Health’ were among the virtual events Midlands Science presented during National Science Week 2021.
There were also entertaining animal workshops with Dublin Zoo and the National Reptile Zoo to informative public talks, and thousands of people attended this year.
Events were held on a digital platform due to the ongoing pandemic, but the positive part of that was that more people from all over Ireland and not just the midlands, were able to access activities than ever before.
Jackie Gorman, director of the Midlands Science Festival, said: “I’m delighted at the success of our ninth Midlands Science Festival, which as promised was event bigger and better than the one we ran last year during Covid-19 times.
“It was wonderful to see so many schools registering for workshops which all pupils could access, as previously these events may only been available for a few classes.
“Organising such a large scale event online is certainly a challenge, but one we have really enjoyed and I wish to thank Science Foundation Ireland, all of our partners, speakers, performers and sponsors once again for making this all possible.”
Audiences of all ages, ranging from school pupils and teenagers to highly respected science experts, and communicators participated this year and a large number of midlands students also had the opportunity to avail of high-level careers advice from companies such as 3M, Irish Manufacturing Research, Cpl Recruitment, Accenture, IPCC, The Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland and many others during Science Week.
Royal Society of Chemistry education co-ordinator, Ireland, Dr John O’Donoghue, spoke about the online event on ‘Sugar and spice and everything science – the Science of chocolate’, where scientists Christine Campbell and Craig Slattery explored everything from why we like the taste of some chocolates more than others to creating the perfect chocolate sauce.
This event was a huge hit with schools and families alike during Science Week.
Dr O’Donoghue said: “It’s fantastic to see more chemistry during Science Week, especially something so accessible to lots of different audiences like the Science of Chocolate. The video is professional and engaging, we’d love to see more initiatives like this in the future!”
Midlands Science also worked with Bord na Móna for this year’s festival in providing a guided walk and talk at Lough Boora Discovery Park. At that event, Bord na Móna safely hosted a number of young pupils from Kilcormac and provided an overview of the ecological, environmental and cultural value of raised bogs, while also focusing on the biodiversity features of interest available at the park.
Ms Gorman said: “We have been overwhelmed by the level of goodwill from local media, our providers and many other organisations and individuals throughout the region.
“The large public turnout shows the appetite for this type of online event and after another successful year, we can hopefully look forward to bringing the Midlands Science Festival back to this region again.”
The virtual Discovery Day, supported by Integra LifeSciences, drew an audience of thousands of young people nationwide and included the Exploration Dome, the Reptile Zoo, Anyone 4 Science, Dale Treadwell’s Dinosaur Show, Anyone4Science and more.
People of all ages had the opportunity to explore the night sky and learn about the science of Superheroes as well as meeting some interesting reptiles and dinosaurs, all done online.