13TH – 20TH NOV 2016cavanmonaghansciencefestival.ie

presents

EVENTS

01

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING ART MATAMATICS

01

Welcome to theCavan MonaghanScience Festival2016.Monaghan County Council and Cavan

County Cavan have joined forces,

supported by funding from Science

Foundation Ireland (SFI), to coordinate

and organise a new, innovative weeklong

festival with over 140 events planned

across the two counties to promote

science, technology, engineering and

maths.

The counties of Cavan and Monaghan

have been identified by research carried

out by SFI as low intervention counties in

terms of STEM participation. So with this in

mind, we have developed a festival

programme to stimulate interest,

excitement and debate about STEM or

indeed STEAM (Science technology

engineering arts maths) through

accessible and entertaining interactions

with the public. We hope to engage and

inspire people of all ages, and to promote

awareness and understanding of the

importance and relevance of STEM to

everyday life.

According to international research, over

the past 10 years growth in STEM jobs is

three times as fast as in non-STEM jobs.

STEM workers are also less likely to

experience joblessness than their non-

STEM counterparts. Science, technology,

engineering and mathematics workers play

a key role in the sustained growth and

stability of the economy.

This inaugural festival will have some of the

best national and international scientists,

researchers and speakers, who will

demonstrate, showcase and discuss on a

broad range of subjects – from the

Science of Golf to the medicinal benefits of

honey to finding out if Shakespeare can

make you fall in love.

There is literally somethingfor everyone to join in atsome stage during thefestival week.

We hope you enjoy the festival and

appreciate your feedback by emailing

sciencefestival@monaghancoco.ie

or upload your photos to our facebook

page.

Cavan Monaghan Science FestivalSteering Committee

FOLLOW US

events guide 2016

01

EVENTSat a glance

events guide 2016

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

Monaghan EventsEvent Date/Time Venue Audience

My Place in Space Sunday 13th Nov 6pm Clones Courthouse Family Event

Mindfulness Meditation Workshops Tuesday 15th Nov at 11am Iontas Centre, Castleblayney General Public Wednesday 16th Nov at 11am Monaghan Library General Public

Why Keep Bees? And the Tuesday 15th Nov at 11am Monaghan Library General PublicMedicinal Properties of Honey Wednesday 16th Nov 11am Carrickmacross Workhouse General Public

Smartphone Workshops Monday 14th Nov at 11am Monaghan Library General Public Tuesday 15th Nov at 11am Ballybay Library General Public Wednesday 16th Nov at 11am Castleblayney Library General Public Thursday 17th Nov at 11am Clones Library General Public Friday 18th Nov at 11am Carrickmacross Library General Public

Science & Technology in Sports Forum Tuesday 15th Nov at 7.30pm Iontas Centre, Castleblayney General Public

Careers in Science Talks Wednesday 16th Nov at 10am Carrickmacross Library General Public Thursday 17th Nov at 10am Monaghan Library General Public

Rain, Rain Go Away...’ Wednesday 16th Nov at 8pm Carrickmacross Library General Public– The Irish Weather with Gerry Murphy

Science of Minding Your Skin Workshops Thursday 17th Nov at 7pm Iontas Centre, Castleblayney General Public Friday 18th Nov at 10am Monaghan Library General Public

Still Alice Movie Screening Wednesday 16th Nov at 7.30pm Clones Court House General Publicfollowed by Q&A

Science of Food Labelling Wednesday 16th Nov at 7pm Castleblayney Library General Public

The Night Sky - Astronomy on Bragan Friday 18th Nov at 7pm Bragan Mountain, Monaghan General Public

RoboSlam - Robot building workshop Saturday 19th Nov Carrickmacross Civic Centre Adults from 12-5pm Adults (strictly age 15+)

A Pint of Science in Saturday 19th Nov at 6.30pm Brehon Brewhouse, Inniskeen Over 18’s only the Brehon Brewhouse

Can Shakespeare Make Saturday 19th Nov at 7pm Market House, Monaghan General Public you Fall in Love? Shakespeare Lives in Science

Cavan EventsScience of Food Labelling Monday 14th Nov at 7pm Johnson Central Library General Public

Sustainable Quality Water Wednesday 16th Nov 7pm Johnston Central Library, General Public Long Term in Ireland Lecture Cavan

Science of Golf Talk Friday 18th Nov 8pm Cavan Golf Club General Public

Science of Healthy Eating Saturday 19th Nov Breifne College, Cavan Children aged for Teens and Children 9.30am & 11.30am 9+

Science of Healthy Eating for Adults Saturday 19th Nov Breifne College Cavan Adults 2pm & 3.30pm

EVENTS ARE FREE

BUT BOOKING ISESSENTIAL

EVENTS ARE FREE

BUT BOOKING ISESSENTIAL

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADE THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADE THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

01

01

MoNAghANOpen Events

Bookingrequired on Eventbrite

07

events guide 2016

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

My Place in Space Sunday 13th November6pm Clones Courthouse. A Family Event.My Place in Space, created for families from the very old (70 +) to thevery young (2yrs +), is a highly interactive event that tells the story ofour place in Space, where Dr. Niamh Shaw takes the audiencefrom the smallest thing to the furthest reaches of the ObservableUniverse, making our Solar System, smashing atoms, creating a humanCarbon model and seeing how we are truly made from Star dust.Merging Astrophysics with Particle physics, this 45 minute interactiveevent is aimed for everyone in the family, where you are sure to learnat least one new thing about your place in Space, no matter how oldyou think you are.

Mindfulness Meditation Workshops Open to all the general public. Iontas Centre, Castleblayney onTuesday 15th at 11am andMonaghan Library on Wednesday 16th at 11am. Over the last few years as scientists learn more about the human brainthere’s been an enormous amount of research into how the practice ofmindfulness meditation supports and improves our brain function...there’s good evidence that even a short regular practice improves ourcapacity to focus, to think clearly, and to remember. But not only that –mindfulness also helps to balance mood, improves sleep, digestion, theimmune system and our capacity to deal with stress! Why not comealong to hear more about the research, the benefits and learn someeasy and enjoyable practices to get you started straight away...

Smartphone Workshops Open to all the general public.Monaghan Library – Mon 14th at 11am

Ballybay Library – Tue 15th at 11am

Castleblayney Library – Wed 16th at 11am

Clones Library – Thur 17th at 11am

Carrickmacross Library – Fri 18th at 11am

This 3 hour workshop gives attendees an introduction to SmartPhonesand Tablets, as well as popular operating systems (eg: Android oriPhone), we discuss popular apps and how to download them from thePlay Store or App Store, Prolonging your Battery Life, Wifi & InternetConnections especially with regard to bills/costs, settings and otheruseful options or tips. This 3 hour session should give participants achance to get to know their device and its features, as well as makingmore informed decisions before purchasing a new device.

Science & Technology in Sports Forum Open to all the general public. Tuesday 15th November 7.30pm inthe Iontas Centre, Castleblayney.Advances in Science and technology are being used throughout theSports world to improve Athletic performance, from the amateur GAAclubs to Olympic heroes. Our Forum panel will be facilitated by IrishTimes Sports journalist Malachy Clerkin and speakers on the night willbe Enda King (Lead Performance Rehabilitation Physiotherapist at theSports Surgery Clinic Santry), Colin Mc Aree (Player GPS Analyst),Sharon Courtney (Sports & Excercise Nutritionist) and Dick Clerkin(Gaelic Footballer).

09

careers in Science TalksCarrickmacross Library Wednesday16th November at 10am andMonaghan Library on Thursday

17th November at 10amThis information session will allow learners/potential students to explorecareers in the science field. Guidance counsellors will give a broadoverview of careers in the Science areas and courses available locallyin addition to course and entry requirements. If attendees have individual queries, appointments can be made to meet these people on a one-to-one basis for a free and confidentialguidance appointment. If there is sufficient time, counsellors mayaddress these individual queries on the day.

Still Alice Movie Screening followed by Q&AWednesday 16th November at7.30pm in Clones Court House Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) is a renowned linguistics professorat Columbia University. When words begin to escape her and she startsbecoming lost on her daily jogs, Alice must come face-to-face with adevastating diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer's disease. As the once-vibrant woman struggles to hang on to her sense of self for as long aspossible, Alice's three grown children must watch helplessly as theirmother disappears more and more with each passing day. The screening of the movie will be followed by Q&A session withEimear Begley, Research Manager and Maeve Montgomery, DementiaAdvisor from Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

Science of Food LabellingWednesday 16th November at7pm in Castleblayney Library.Would you like to use the science of food labelling to help you to makehealthier food purchases? Clinical Dietician Mary Sheanon, invites youto an interactive workshop helping you to learn and practice the skillsneeded to unravel the mysteries of food labelling.

Why Keep Bees & The MedicinalProperties of HoneyTuesday 15th from 11am - 2pm inMonaghan Library and Wednesday16th from 11am - 2pm inCarrickmacross Workshop.In Ireland we have been keeping Bees since the end of the Ice agewhen the temperature rose to current levels to allow Bees to coloniseour Country and gave the first settlers their only source of sugar whichencouraged them to rob the bees. Honey has a long Medicinal Historygoing back to the dawn of time, when it was used not only as asweetener but for its antibacterial properties where it was and still isused as a dressing for open wounds, burns and other damages to ourbodies. Propolis which bees use to steralize the inside of the hive isused as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, Royal Jelly, as ahealth food too numerous to mention. Come and find out more fromThomas Shaw, Secretary of the Irish Beekeepers Association, who hasyears of experience in this area. A very fascinating session isguaranteed!

11

Rain, Rain Go Away...’ The Irish Weather with Gerry MurphyWednesday 16th November at8pm in Carrickmacross LibraryMeteorologist and weather forecaster with RTE One Gerry Murphy willdiscuss the nature of Irish weather and forecasting weather for Ireland,taking into account its challenges and uncertainties with emphasis onforecasts for Farmers. He will talk about climate change and futureprojections for Ireland, particularly the Northeast region.

Science of Minding Your SkinWorkshopsIontas Centre, Castleblayney onThursday 17th at 7pm andMonaghan Library on Friday 18th at 10am We will explore the science of your skin followed by analysis of skintypes and a practical guide to caring for the skin on a daily basis. Thisclass covers the structure and function of each layer of the skin. Thiswill be followed by a detailed description of the characteristics of thedifferent skin types- Dry, Sensitive, Mature, Normal and Oily/Acneprone. Each participant will then be guided through a practical analysisof their own skin and perform a facial treatment (Cleanse, Tone,Exfoliation and Mask) for themselves. This will teach each participanthow to care for their skin on a daily basis.

– skincare products will be provided.

– participants are asked to bring a hand towel, a

small bowl, a free standing table top mirror

and a hairband.

The Night Sky - Astronomy on BraganOpen to all the general public.Friday 18th November at 7pm. Bragan Mountain, MonaghanAs we slip into the dark winter nights, the majestic nature of the nightsky is plain to see. If you have ever looked up and wondered aboutcelestial objects, including stars, constellations, galaxies, planets and theEarth's moon then you should come along to our event on Braganmountain where we will be joined by Astronomists from MaynoothUniversity. They will bring along some telescopes and guide youthrough the Night Sky.

Meet at the Sliabh Beagh Hotel,Knockatallon, Monaghan.

RoboSlam - Robot building workshopfor adults (strictly age 15+)Saturday 19th November12-5pm at Carrickmacross Civic Centre RoboSlam is a robot building workshop for beginners – a quickintroduction to creating robots using a low-cost Arduino board and ahandful of other electronic components. This workshop for adults (age15+) will include robot construction, programming and testing. Allparticipants will take away a working robot which they can continueworking on independently. No previous experience is necessary.Computers will be provided for programming the robots, but theArduino software used is free to download and compatible with mostlaptops, so any participant who wishes to bring his/her laptop willprobably be able to use it.

13

Can Shakespeare Make you Fall in Love? Shakespeare Lives in Science –Saturday 19th November 7pm inMarket House, Monaghan In Shakespeare’s world, lovers look forward to marriage as a matter ofcourse, and they neither anticipate its rights nor turn their affectionselsewhere. They commonly love at first sight and once for all. Can welove this truly 400 years on? Love in Shakespeare’scharacters and in the animal kingdom - how does ithappen? What forms does it take? To celebrate Shakespeare's400th anniversary, join Dr. Niamh Shaw, presenter and scientist, for thisunique look at the science of passion. A special Science week event inassociation with the British Council with Hannah Manktelow,Shakespearean performance scholar, scientist and poetry slam artist Dr. Sam Illingworth, Emer Maguire specialist in the anatomy of love andmathematician Prof. Michel Destrade. Discover more aboutShakespeare’s insights into human nature that still ring true 400 years on,investigate where modern science matches up with the ideas ofElizabethan “natural philosophy,” hear Shakespeare’s text in dramaticreadings and get involved in live experiments and sciencedemonstrations.

A Pint of Science in the BrehonBrewhouseSaturday 19th November at6.30pm in Brehon Brewhouse,Inniskeen. (strictly over 18 only)Start your Saturday night off with a Pint of Science! As you tour aroundthe Brehon Brewhouse in Inniskeen you’ll be amazed at how theBrewer understands and carefully orchestrates a symphony of chemicalreactions between the grain, the water, the hops, and the yeast. There’sa lot more to your pint than you think!

CAVANOpen Events

Bookingrequired on Eventbrite

events guide 2016

15

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

Science of Food LabellingMonday 14th November 7pmJohnson Central LibraryWould you like to use the science of food labelling to help you to makehealthier food purchases? Clinical Dietician Mary Sheanon, invites youto an interactive workshop helping you to learn and practice the skillsneeded to unravel the mysteries of food labelling.

Sustainable Quality Water Long Term inIreland LectureWednesday 16th November 7pm inJohnston Central Library, CavanThis lecture will look at climate change world wide, zoning in on risingtemperatures, resultant flooding and its impact on farming todayworldwide. It will also look at nutrient management plans in place andbest farm practice adhered to by the farming community in Ireland andhow they will best co-exist into the future. Lecture will be delivered byDr Dan Courtney, Research scientist, retired Teagasc Officer and RonánMac an tSaoir, Lecturer from Ballyhaise Agricultural College.

events guide 2016

The Science of GolfFriday 18th November in Cavan GolfClub, Cavan at 8pmDr. Ian Kenny, Lecturer- Biomechanics Research Unit, Department ofPhysical Education & Sport Sciences in University of Limerick willdeliver a talk on the Science of Golf, looking in particular at club & balleffect on shot performance, shot performance monitoring and strength& flexibility effects.

science of Healthy Eating for Teens and ChildrenSaturday 19th November in BreifneCollege from 9.30am & 11.30am Children Cooking/baking sessions in Breifne College where the focuswill be on healthy eating lunch box & snacks. These will be hands-onpractical session where the participants working in pairs will preparevarious healthy options & taste their finished dishes. Appropriate forchildren to be over 9 years. Booking is essential.

Science of Healthy Eating for AdultsSaturday 19th November in BreifneCollege from 2pm & 3.30pm Adult Cooking/baking sessions in Breifne College where the focus willbe on healthy eating lunch box & snacks. These will be hands-onpractical session where the participants working in pairs will preparevarious healthy options & taste their finished dishes. Booking isessential.

17

01

MoNAghANFamily Fun Day

Saturday 19th November 12:00 – 5pm Carrickmacross Civic Centre

events guide 2016

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

Marine DimensionsThe Marine Dimensions Experience will be onsite for the FamilyFun day and includes a touch-pool containing live sea creatures,including starfish, shrimp, anemones, crabs, sea snails and lotsmore! An interactive display with props, sea shells, whale baleenand stunning underwater images will help explain some of whathappened below the sea. A qualified marine biologists will also beon hand to answer any and all of your seal life questions!

Little Hands ScienceIrene Caulfield will be visiting the Family Fun Day for some handson fun for the little ones. Irene is a Science teacher with years ofexperience in the Science industry. She will introduce yourtoddlers and pre-schoolers to the basics of science through funactivities that stimulate curiosity.

Introduction to CoderdojoAll young people aged 7 years + are invited to come along andtry out Coderdojo, explore the games and technology in aninformal and creative environment.

Smartphone Microscope workshopsfrom: 2pm & 4pm. This is a drop-in workshop which givesparticipants the chance to explore the wonders of the hiddenworld around us. Participants learn about microscopes andmagnification and examine samples of some everyday materialup close as well as being guided through the process of putting together a unique self-assembly cardboard kit that when paired up with a smartphone camera creates an amazing microscope. 19

ZOo To YouCome see and hear about reptiles including snakes, lizards, turtles,tortoises and even some tarantulas and scorpions. An opportunityto come close to some of the animals and maybe even touchthem, while dispelling some common myths about reptiles andarachnids and helping people to overcome some of their fears.

Test Your Mind: The Problem-Solving InitiativeDo you love solving problems and brain teasers? Test your mindwith puzzles and challenges from the Problem-Solving Initiative! Trydecoding the languages of the world with the All Ireland LinguisticsOlympiad, test your wits with logic games, and check out examplesof science and technology careers for strong problem solvers.There’s something for all ages and ability levels. Run by the ScienceFoundation Ireland ADAPT Centre, the Problem-Solving Initiative(www.problemsolving.ie) aims to foster the next generation ofproblem solvers for Ireland.

Tales from the Riverside FarmListen to the ‘Tales from Riverside Farm’ by author and AgriKidsfounder Alma Jordan in this fun and engaging farm safetyworkshop. From slurry to safety signs to finding out about animalbehavior, Alma’s unique approach to creating awareness hascontinued to delight children all over Ireland. ‘Through engagingand entertaining our children we are empowering our future farmersto be farm safety ambassadors’, (Alma Jordan)

Steampunk art workshop at 2pmAnd you probably wondering what is Steampunk? Well it is mostfamous new trend across the world. It’s all about mixing old andnew: fusing the usability of modern technology with the designaesthetic and philosophy of the Victorian age - it can be seen as away of giving your personal technology a goth make-over. Imaginea top of the range computer pimped out to look like an oldtypewriter, or an iPhone dock that lets you answer your phone usingan old brass and wood receiver. Come along to this workshop at2pm and make Steampunk laptop out of waste materials?

Museum Show and TellMeet some of the Monaghan County Museum staff as they presenta hands on display of objects and artefacts from their extensivecollections. Learn more about how simple science was appliedthousands of years ago to overcome some enormous obstacles.

Build it, Make it Play AreaWant to build the highest tower? Maybe make the next new fastestmodel car? Or simply relax and use your imagination to build withlego, knex, mecchano and a host of other wonderful educationaland fun equipment to try out. Suitable for all ages.

MAKESHOP in MonaghanMAKESHOP is an educational workshop space set up by ScienceGallery in 2012. Originally a pop up experiment, MAKESHOPcontinues to go from strength to strength. With our programme ofwalk-in and premium workshops, along with our off-site visits, webring the maker movement to a whole new audience. 'MAKESHOPin Monaghan' will see us providing a section of our most popularworkshops.

Simon Watt Science Showsshow times: 12:00pm, 1:15pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm Simon Watt is President for Life of the Ugly Animal PreservationSociety. At the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, we celebrate andexplore the incredible biology of the animal kingdom’s mostmonstrous. What adaptations make them amazing? How did suchhideous creatures evolve in the first place. The show featuresvideos, demonstrations and lots and lots of audience participation.This show has been hailed as an example of British ScienceCommunication at its best and so been performed as part of a tourof Canada, Ireland and the UK as well as in Bulgaria, Mexico andthe USA.

21

01

CAVANFamily Fun Day

Saturday 19th November 12:00 – 5pm Johnson Central Library,County Chamber,Old reference Library

events guide 2016

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.

Dr. Ken – Science of the Circus Cavan Courthouse, From: 12pm, 1:30pm and 3pmRoll up, roll up and explore the science behind the thrills and spills ofthe circus. Dr Ken takes you on a voyage of discovery investigatinghow performers make use of many scientific principles in their tricksand stunts. Find out why jugglers love gravity, how clowns use the forcelike a Jedi and why unicyclists need to keep moving to stay still. It’sscience but not as you may know it!!!

Roisin Crawford Demo’s – Coffee Dock Coffee Dock, Cavan Library, From: 12pm – 5pm STEM Aware aims to encourage every pupil to engage in the world ofSTEM from an early age right through to third level education andcareer choices. STEM Aware engagement will get everyone to thinklike a scientist, operate like an engineer and play like a child! On theirvisit to Cavan they will preform a number of simple scientificexperiments with the children.

Lacken NS STEAMroom Johnston Central Library, Cavan, From: 11am -3pm We have Ireland's first ever school STEAMroom. This is a room with nobooks or workbooks. Quality teaching and learning and is often pupillead, using the most up to date technology and resources available.

Colmac Robotics workshop Johnston Central Library, Cavan at 1:30pmPupils will be introduced to the concepts of simple and compound gearmechanisms, how they work and what the advantages anddisadvantages are of each. Pupils will then decide which system to usein their robot and design a robot around this. Weight distribution,balance, torque and friction will be addressed as sub factors during thelesson. Pupils will be motivated to participate in a competition againsttheir class mates and also by the experience of getting to do a practicaltask during the school day.

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING ART MATAMATICS

STEMaware

room

23

01

rivers on the Move Old Reference Library, Cavan, From: 12 – 5pmRivers & streams shape the landscape we see around us today. Overthousands of years the power of the water has worn down hillsidesand carved out the valleys in which our rivers flow as they make theirway to our lakes and seas. Our relationship with rivers has changed.Increasingly we try to control our rivers to protect our property fromflooding, to supply drinking water, to provide water for agriculture andindustry, and even to produce water generated power. By trying tocontrol rivers we change them. Find out how the decisions we makeon river management affects rivers now and in the future. BallinderryRivers Trust is a fully registered member of The Rivers Trusts.

Forensic Geology - Sherlock Holmesand Crime Scene Investigation Old Reference Library, Cavan, From: 12 – 5pmWhat is forensic geology and how has geology helped to solveseveral high profile criminal cases in the UK and internationally? For example how can soil found on a shoe help to solve a crime?This event involves how a crime solving problem involving mud, waterand a criminal’s boots will reveal how a forensic geologist thinks andshow how an understanding of geological processes andenvironments can assist in unravelling the crime.

The crime: A valuable fossil fish has beenstolen from the collections in Queen’sUniversity!A suspect is caught (using CCTV) but deniesbeing in the area: he says he was in his garden,at his work, and at the seaside.Geologists havebeen asked to help as mud was found on hisboots! Participants will be shown how toextract mud from a shoe or boot and save theforensic evidence. Attendees are asked to comeand look at the specimens, we show these onthe viewer and the attendees decide if thesuspect is guilty based on colour and texture of mud.

25

Gold in them thar’ Drumlins Cavan Courthouse, From: 12pm & 12.30pmAncient exotic worlds of Cavan and Monaghan, Indonesia, SouthAfrica, Mongolia, Australia, Chile. Cavan and Monaghan have twothings in common……..Gold and Gypsum. Gypsum has beenmined in the Kingscourt region since the 1930’s. High levels of Goldhave been discovered in soil stretching across Armagh, Monaghanand Cavan. Only one out of a billion atoms of rock in Earth’s crustare gold, so finding large amounts of Gold in one place is extremelyrare. Making Gold deposits takes millions of years, super-heatedwater, volcanoes and destruction of the Earth’s crust. Gypsum formsin salty coastal lagoons in desert environments. Neither sounds muchlike present day Cavan! Where did the volcanoes and seacome from and go to? What did our county (andcountry) look like 400 million years ago? Join us as weunravel time to reveal the major geological events that shaped ourcounty, and left us with rare and valuable metals materials.

01

SChoolS &CoMMuNITyinvite only

Table Quiz On Thursday 17th November, Monaghan will host aPrimary school-Family STEM table quiz in the GlencarnHotel at 7pm. This is open to all primary schools incounty Monaghan. The quiz will be interactive alongwith some science experiments and surprises on thenight. Each school can nominate 2 teams, made up of4 persons, of which two must be adults and twoprimary school students. Information and booking formhas been sent to all schools. The winning team willreceive €500 worth of STEM materials for their schooland the runner up team receiving €200 of STEMmaterials. There will be individual prizes for theparticipating teams plus some spot prizes on the night.

Book Club – Reading ListsMonaghan Libraries has compiled a list of sciencethemed titles for both adult and children book clubs toborrow and read during the Festival. If your club wantsto borrow any of these titles please call into any of theMonaghan libraries or contact us atsciencefestival@monaghancoco.ie. Details of the titles can be found on our website.

Knitting the SolarExhibitionAs part of our first science festival, in partnership withCavan Monaghan ETB Community Education andClones Library, a group will be knitting the Solar Systemand it will be on display in Clones Library during thefestival.

Billboard PosterCompetitionThe Environment Section of both county councils arerunning a Poster competition with schools to raiseawareness in terms of water quality in our rivers andlakes including protecting our rivers and lakes fromwater pollution. The two county winners will beannounced at beginning of November and the winningposter will be displayed on billboards in both countiesduring the festival.

The following prebooked programmewill take place during the day withschools and community groups.

27

Tales from the Riverside FarmListen to the ‘Tales from Riverside Farm’ by author and AgriKidsfounder Alma Jordan in this fun and engaging farm safety workshop. Fromslurry to safety signs to finding out about animal behavior, Alma’s uniqueapproach to creating awareness has continued to delight children all overIreland. ‘Through engaging and entertaining our children weare empowering our future farmers to be farm safetyambassadors’, (Alma Jordan).

BigFoot, how Big is your Digital Footprint?Do you know how much data is available online about you?Does your online footprint accurately represent yourpersonality in the real world? Are you sharing more thanyou realise? This novel technology has been developed by researchersfrom the ADAPT Centre (www.adaptcentre.ie) at Trinity College Dublin andartificial intelligence experts AYLIEN.

The BigFoot app will measure the size of your digital footprint by analysingyour behaviour on Facebook and comparing this with your perceivedprivacy needs. Are you fully aware of who can see what onyour profile? Are you a Shy BigFoot, who shares very littleinformation online, or a King Kong BigFoot, whose digitalfootprint can seen by anyone and everyone? Discover how farand wide your data travels, and learn how to adjust your privacy settings totake charge of your persona online.

Google Computer Science WorkshopsA team of Googlers will be visiting a number of Second-level schoolsthroughout Cavan and Monaghan as part of the Science Festival to talkabout Computer Science and its applications. They will carry out a variety ofactivities with the students and showcase why CS is all about fun problem-solving.

Olympiad WorkshopsThe All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO) is a contest in which schoolstudents develop their own strategies for solving problems in fascinatinglanguages from around the globe. No prior knowledge of linguistics or asecond language is required, as even the hardest problems require onlylogical ability, patient work, and a willingness to think around corners. Theworkshop involves working through puzzles each in a different languagewhich should be unfamiliar to you. By using your logic and reasoning youwill be able to decode the puzzles and discover the meaning of sentenceswritten in languages like Hawaiian, Armenian and Nahuatl (Aztec). The workshop is facilitated by the ADAPT centre, Trinity college.

STEM literacy workshopsHands on fun interactive and educational workshop using traditional tales,this workshop will help students to develop critical problem-framing andproblem-solving skills in the context of STEM learning and promote literacyskills through the use of STEM activities, along with STEM/Literacy games.Monaghan Library staff will bring characters and scenes from well knowtales to life by getting the children to solve problems such as how to getthe three billy goats gruff across the river when there is no bridge.

CSI Water WorkshopsDuring this Science Festival both the Cavan and Monaghan EnvironmentSection will facilitate CSI Water workshops. This workshop will include apresentation to demonstrate how our Environment Section staff undertaketheir enforcement work, laboratory work, sampling and biologicalmonitoring. Children will get an opportunity to see the equipment used byEnvironmental Officers and examine a sample of the little bugs you can findin your local stream or river.

The Everyday Energy WorkshopsThe Everyday Energy workshop is aimed at first and second year sciencestudents and uses everyday objects to investigate the subject of energy.The aim of the workshop is to actively involve students in the learningprocess, from figuring out how to assemble their circuit to analysing theresults of their experiments and drawing conclusions about energyconversion. The students are encouraged to think critically about the waysthat we generate and use energy on a daily basis and the environmentalimplications of our energy use.

CSI GeologyWhere has this rock come from? What is it made of? Cangeology really be used in CSI? The answers to these questions willbe revealed through the Look Closer workshop run by iCRAG. Through thisworkshop, participants will delve deep into geology and learn how to relatea tiny speck of sand to the largest of mountains, and how geology can beused to pick a murderer out from a line up of the usual suspects.

STEMliteracy

29

Weather Show ExperimentsA weather show creating lightning, form rainbows, examining climatechange and showing the destructive power of extreme weather. This showwill involve an interactive presentation covering principles such asatmospheric pressure, convection currents, sound, optics andelectromagnetism. The show covers areas in science and geography. Tutor is Declan Holmes from Science Ireland.

Dr. How science wowsDr. How’s Science Wows covers a variety of areas of sciencecommunication, from hands-on visits to workshop design. On this visit thetheme of “water and weather” will be teased out using 10 differentwater related experiments. They will discuss “Why do we needwater?” and “How old is the water we drink?”

Careers in ScienceBoth Cavan & Monaghan have been identified as low intervention Countiesin terms of STEM so it is hoped to encourage more people to becomeinvolved in STEM. In conjunction with Cavan Institute and MonaghanInstitute, a Careers Day will be held where qualified staff such as scientists,IT experts, engineers, technical staff, etc. facilitate a “day in the life ofa....” showcasing the various elements of STEM positions in the localauthority.

Practical Application of science inFarmingAn interactive session at Ballyhaise Agricultural College, where students willfind out How slurry gases are produced when agitation slurry and theirdangers. The hygiene around milking and its effects on milk quality, SCCand TBC and California Milk Test. Animal feed, silage preservation, grassand how it converts into kg of beef. Treating of animals for parasites, basedon sheep including samples of affected organs on display.

Coding for Primary Schools workshopBeginners Guide to Coding workshops will introduce primary schoolchildren to the wonders of Scratch, the world’s most popular programminglanguage for young people. Scratch combines youthful creativity andcuriosity with school subjects such as mathematics and art in a vibrantdigital environment that allows children to become adept at computercoding in a remarkably short period of time. Tutor will be Brendan Smith ofthe Insight Centre for Data Analytics at NUI Galway.

Coding workshopsIn this 1 hour taster session attendees will get a basic introduction tocomputer coding concepts. Using iPads with block-based programmingsoftware the children will get to control mini Ozobot robots. Tutor will be Matt Eve of Tech Create.

Engineering & Robotics workshopsPromoting the technical skills desired by leaders from the engineeringindustry our Machines and Mechanisms workshop will develop your child’stechnical, mathematical, problem solving and analytical skills. Discoveringhow friction, weight distribution and more has an effect on mechanics.Discovering wind power and renewable energy and learning about forcesand motion. Tutor is Ross Maguire.

Boat Building and Sailing talk &workshopsA talk will be held on the origin of boats in the Cavan, Monaghan &Fermanagh areas. The discussion will look at the development of the logboats and subsequently the building of a cot by Cavan Town Men`s shed.The various forms of propulsion will be covered, i.e the paddle, oar and sailas the speak has sailed competitively for many years and managed manysailing championships during that time. The cot will be on exhibit inJohnston Central Library.

31

Mad Professor Science ShowsThe Mad Professor show includes educational and fun experiments that willhave your children laughing, entertained and educated for 60 minutes. He explains the facts and involves as many of the children as possible overthe course of the show. The show consists of up to 16 differentexperiments and covers, air and sound, visual puzzles, density and oil andwater, explosions and gases! It’s all really great science for children.

Dr. Ken – Science of the CircusRoll up, roll up and explore the science behind the thrills and spills of thecircus. Dr. Ken takes you on a voyage of discovery investigating howperformers make use of many scientific principles in their tricks and stunts.Find out why jugglers love gravity, how clowns use the force like a Jedi andwhy unicyclists need to keep moving to stay still. It’s science but not as youmay know it!!!

Science is Magic - The Science ShowIn this interactive show you will do the science experiments yourself. Why does static electricity make your hair stand on end?Can you hold a bucket full of water held upside down overyour head and not get wet? How do you make a magnetwith a wire, battery and a nail? How does a hot air balloonfly and how do I make my own one? What is the sciencebehind the gun? The human body, sound, light, heat and many othersubjects. Facilitated by Michael Moylan from Irish History.

Spaghetti StructuresGlobal Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie have recently launched a newEngineering focused module specifically developed for 5th & 6th ClassPrimary School Students. The programme is designed to stimulate aninterest and understanding of what engineers do; engage students in anengineering challenge and explore Careers in Engineering. For our festival,Engineers from AbbVie will help the students build a spaghetti Structure todemonstrate some of the principles of engineering. We are delighted tohave them on board.

Acknowledgements

This festival would not be possible without the funding from Science Foundation Ireland.The support and financial backing from both CEO’s, Eamon O’Sullivan and Tommy Ryan,the public representatives of Monaghan & Cavan County Councils, a dedicated team ofstaff particularly the Library and Environment staff along with colleagues across bothlocal authorities.

A number of organisations and people have provided free events as part of the festival,and we are very grateful for this generous contribution - Dr Alaistair Ruffell, QueensUniversity, Belfast; Dr Aoife Braiden, Geological Survey of Ireland; Aisling Soden, GeologicalSurvey of Ireland; Mark Horton, Ballinderry Rivers Trust; Chloe Kinsella, SEAI WorkshopsAdministrator, An Taisce; Olivia Crossan, An Taisce; Caroline Murphy, An Taisce; CavanInstitute, Gerry McKenny, Deputy Director; Monaghan Institute, Deputy Principal RynaghMcNally; Clones Film Festival Committee; Insight Centre, Brendan Smith; Deirdre Byrne& Carol Kelly at Cavan Monaghan ETB; iCrag Centre – Fergus McAuliffe; Adapt Centre –Laura Grehan; Gerry Murphy; Dick Clerkin, Malachy Clerkin, Enda King, Colin Mc Areeand Sharon Courtney for the Sports Forum talk; Science Gallery, Dublin; Ted Burke –School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, DIT; Lacpatrick; Combilift; Google; Abbvie;Niamh Shaw & Liz Mc Bain British Council for the Shakespeare event; BallyhaiseAgricultural College, Principal John Kelly and Deputy Principal Oliver Tierney; Emer Begley& Maeve Montgomery from the Alzheimers Association; Dr Emma T Whelan, Dept ofExperimental Physics, Maynooth University, Dr Patrick Kavanagh, Dublin Institute forAdvanced Studies and Dr Creidhe O'Sullivan, Maynooth University.

We are in debt to the invaluable advice we received from Chris McCreery, Director ofScience NI and Jackie Gorman, Director of Midlands Science Festival – thanks for sharingyour experience and knowledge on running a science festival. Also to Jeffrey Roe fromDublin Maker and Eamon Durey, Fab Lab Nerve Centre, Derry.

To our designers Patrick B McCabe at No Border Media and Padraic Horgan of pH7 designstudio for the quick turnaround designing the website and all promotional materials! And we hope we haven’t left anyone out, but if we have,sincere apologies...

EVENTS

BOOKINGS CAN BE MADETHROUGH THE WEBSITE OR THROUGH YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY.cavanmonaghansciencefestival.ie

desig

n & br

and:

www.ph

7.ie