Athlone is at the heart of upcoming Midlands Science Festival
The Midlands Science Festival will finally return in-person this year after two years of online delivery due to the pandemic.
Highlights of the festival will include a presentation exploring the science of resilience with psychologist Dr Andrew Magee in the Radisson Blu Hotel, Athlone, a dip and a swim in Lough Ree and an adrenaline inducing insight into Formula One .
Dr Magee’s virtual lecture was one of the most popular online events last year. In just a few hours his presentation was viewed 7,500 times which offered wise, compassionate and practical advice on resilience, all based on science from the field of psychology.
Dr Magee and Dr Craig Slattery of UCD will explore what science tells us about stress and resilience and also provide some advice and tips based on science on how we can manage stress better and build our resilience.
CEO of Midlands Science Jackie Gorman said: “As a society, we have shown our resilience and ability to withstand adversity, bouncing back from difficult challenges we face in our daily lives and as a collective, particularly so over the past few years. “The theme of this year’s Science Week is infinite possibilities and we have a wide variety of activities for all ages. We are encouraging parents to get their children involved in the numerous events over the week.
“The younger generation are the future and science is an important part of a shared better future helping us to understand our world, inspiring new opportunities, and providing potential solutions.”
Those who enjoy swimming are welcome to join Midlands Science for a Swim Ireland supervised dip and swim at Lough Ree, Coosan Point, Athlone.
Following the swim, hot food and refreshments will be served in the Lough Ree Inn and an interview will take place with Catherine Kelly, author of 'Blue Spaces', the best selling book which explores why people love swimming and water so much.
The festival will also delve into the science of golf with Dr Eoghan O’Neill, a sports psychologist who specialises in golf and this event will be held in Athlone Golf Club. Dr Barry Fitzgerald will examine the science of Formula One racing and a family day out at Mondello Park will be gifted to one lucky family.
Dr Craig Slattery will investigate the world of beauty and the chemistry beasts in an event separating the science and marketing that often collide in the world of beauty products.
After the festivities, attendees can join Midlands Science for a drink at Dead Centre Brewing where the science of brewing and beer will be explored in the midlands hippest venue.
There’s also plenty more on offer including an astronomy night in Lough Boora Parklands, an ecology walk, outreach to schools, a climate change project with students from Athlone and sustainable living workshops.
The Midlands Science Festival will run from Sunday, November 13 to Sunday, November 20.
Booking for events is now open and all details are available on www.midlandsscience.ie.
The Midlands Science Festival is supported by Science Foundation Ireland, through the Discover Programme. Midlands Science is supported by the Ireland Funds, the Naughton Foundation, the Medtronic Foundation and a range of other corporate and philanthropic supporters.