The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is thrilled to announce that we have been successful in securing funding under the Science Week Discover Programme from Research Ireland (formerly Science Foundation Ireland).
As part of Science Week in November 2024, IWDG will host two exciting events:
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Be a Marine Biologist for a Day – Open days at the Shannon Dolphin Centre with activities.
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Can We Speak Whale? – A fascinating webinar series exploring the science behind cetaceans research and conservation efforts.
These events are part of our ongoing efforts to inspire curiosity about marine life and provide hands-on learning experiences for young people and aspiring scientists. We look forward to welcoming participants and sharing the wonders of marine biology and citizen science during Science Week.
Stay tuned for more details!
Press Release
30 September 2024: Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan TD has today officially launched Science Week 2024, the theme of which is ‘Regeneration’. The Minister announced government funding of €809,942 for a variety of events around the country.
Taking place across Ireland from 10th-17th November 2024, Science Week is a national celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), with hundreds of events for people of all ages. Science Week 2024 is harnessing the power of regeneration and calling on the public to celebrate our innate ability to reinvent, rejuvenate and regenerate.
Speaking at the launch, Minister O’Donovan said: “Science Week is now a much-anticipated Irish calendar highlight and a great opportunity for people to engage with science and research through fun, engaging and interactive events. I am delighted to be able to announce funding of over €800,000 from my department to directly support the hosting of 33 events.
The Minister added: “Science is vital to our everyday lives – from protecting our natural world and creating more sustainable approaches to energy supply, to embracing technological advancements and investigating new solutions to safeguard our health. For this year’s Science Week, through the theme of ‘Regeneration’, we are inviting people to reimagine the way we engage with the world around us and enhance our collective strengths. There is something for every generation to enjoy in Science Week, with hundreds of events taking place all over the country. I’m encouraging everyone to take part in Science Week, by attending a festival or event and getting involved in the stimulating activities on offer during the week.”
Commenting on Science Week, Director of Science for Society at Research Ireland, Dr Ruth Freeman, said: “Science has a profound impact on individuals, society, and the world at large in a multitude of ways. This Science Week, we explore harnessing the power of regeneration and how the decisions we make today will greatly impact future generations. It is important to take learnings from the past to inform our decisions for the future. and we encourage everyone to get involved in Science Week, whether at your local festival, online on social media, or with friends and family. Critical to the success of Science Week is the growing community of dedicated volunteers across the country who work tirelessly on delivering stimulating activities each year on top of the 33 newly funded projects we are announcing this year. We are truly thankful for their commitment to passionately promoting science among the general public.”
Science Week 2024 takes place from 10th-17th November. For more information on how to get involved, please visit scienceweek.ie. You can also follow developments using the hashtag #scienceweek #regeneration.
Notes to Editor
Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland
Established on August 1st 2024, Research Ireland is the new national competitive research and innovation funding agency, which amalgamates the activities and functions of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Irish Research Council (IRC).
About Science Week
ScienceWeek.ie is a week-long event in Ireland each November, celebrating science in our everyday lives. Science Week includes a wide variety of events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers and students throughout Ireland. Science Week has a number of regional festivals and events offering a range of opportunities for the public to engage with STEM across Ireland.
Notes to Editor
Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland
Established on August 1st 2024, Research Ireland is the new national competitive research and innovation funding agency, which amalgamates the activities and functions of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Irish Research Council (IRC).
Festivals awarded funding:
- LIMERICK: Ballyhoura Science Week Festival– Engage people who have never been to a science-themed festival previously, particularly socially, economically and educationally disadvantaged target groups, and its emphasis on public engagement in STEM enhances Ballyhoura’s focus on community engagement, education and work as a National Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Champion.
- LIMERICK: Limerick Festival of Science – Presentations captivate, inform and educate participants by clearly explaining and demonstrating new technologies, science and engineering concepts, arts, design and the language of mathematics (STEAM) that shapes the world around us.
- CORK: SpaceFest 2024– Delivers an exciting and engaging exploration of space across all aspects of STEAM through a one-week celebration of the art and science of space.
- DUBLIN: C’mere Til I Tell Ye – Dublin Science Festival– Presents the general public with engaging shows in comfortable surroundings so they can be informed and entertained through fun and thought-provoking shows, discussions and demonstrations.
- DUBLIN: Beta Festival 2024 – A critical inquiry in art and technology– Taking Ireland’s role as a central node in today’s wired world as a starting point, Beta showcases and celebrates Ireland’s research and artistic communities through a combination of creativity, debate and experimentation.
- KERRY: Kerry Science Festival 2024– Through a lens of immersive activities and educational initiatives, will showcase STEM contributions to ignite innovation and rejuvenation. The goal is to cultivate an environment of curiosity and inclusivity, ensuring that everyone can engage and thrive in the transformative journey of sustainable regeneration through STEM.
- CARLOW / WATERFORD Southeast Science Festival– Delivers an exciting, entertaining and inspiring festival, with events that entertain, engage and stimulate discussion about Science and the Science Week theme “Regeneration”.
- CAVAN / MONAGHAN: Cavan Monaghan Science Festival– An interactive and vibrant festival crafted to champion STEM within our communities. The festival will spotlight events exclusively for adults, women/girls, special interest groups, and areas with populations facing social, economic, or educational challenges.
- TIPPERARY: Tipperary Festival of Science– It includes the science roadshows, workshops, STEM maker activities, talks, walks and webinars, all bring science alive, with relevance to everyday life.
- WEXFORD: Wexford Science Festival– Through interactive family shows, exciting hands-on activities and stimulating evening events for adults are all on the programme will inspire curiosity, spark an interest in science and encourage engagement with science throughout Wexford.
- KILKENNY: Kilkenny Science Festival 2024– Recognising Kilkenny’s rich cultural and culinary heritage, the festival’s programming uniquely intertwines these elements and will use landmark buildings and venues in Kilkenny to host Science Week event.
- MAYO: Science Circus by the Sea Festival– Is a 3-day festival (15-17 Nov) in four nearby Mayo locations that uses Circus to draw new rural audiences to science through interactive circus science workshops, performances, walkabouts and discussion.
- LAOIS/OFFALY/LONGFORD/WESTMEATH: Midlands Science Festival– The festival covers the four midlands’ counties of Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath and the 2024 agenda includes everything from fun exploration days for families, and cold-water swimming and the menopause to the search for extra-terrestrial life.
- SLIGO: Sligo Science Festival – This programme aims to make science more interesting and accessible to children and adults alike and highlights how science, technology and engineering are hugely relevant to us all in our everyday live.
Events awarded funding:
- LIMERICK: Science Week at The Ark 2024– The Weird and Wonderful World of Creepy Crawlies: Public Science – Art Workshops for Children for Science Week 2024.
- CLARE: ‘Be a Marine Biologist’ (Children) and ‘Can We Speak Whale?’ (Adults) – With a focus on this year’s theme of ‘Regeneration’, the workshops and science talks aim to inspire conservation efforts for these magnificent creatures, inviting both children and adults to explore cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoises) research.
- CORK: Science at the Marina– There will be a range of interactive activities, demonstrations, and talks that will serve as gateways to discussions on diverse research topics, fostering an inviting atmosphere for participants to interact with researchers. The event will include topics such as the microbiome, human health, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, agriculture, food science, sensors, light technologies, and engineering.
- DONEGAL: Inishowen Rural Science Festival – Bridging Tradition and Innovation- Against the backdrop of rural Ireland’s unique challenges and opportunities, our festival will explore, in a novel and questioning way, how the principles of science can give us a new perspective. From agriculture and fishing to textiles, landscapes, and sports, we will explore how STEM intersects with these traditional sectors to foster regeneration and sustainability.
- DUBLIN: The Cloud Machine– Clouds are a fe rtile area for scientific, philosophical and artistic exploration. They are the focus of ‘The Cloud Machine’ – an exciting new project by the Irish artist Seán Hillen, which will be presented at Photo Museum Ireland especially for Science Week 2024.
- DUBLIN: The Science of Theatre – The Light Box & Sound MachineBe a Marine Biologist’ and ‘Can we speak whale?’ – Sound, just as much as light, is integral to storytelling and this event offers participants the opportunity to play with and explore these concepts as actors, designers and audience members. As such, they will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for these elements of storytelling.
- DUBLIN: The Bigger Picture: Engaging with Creative Perceptions of AI– The Bigger Picture will address the public perception and misconceptions surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly in the world of Visual and Fine Art through a series of participatory workshops, analysis, artist commissions and exhibitions.
- DUBLIN: The Blossoming: Cancer Has No Borders– The proposed project is a continuation of an SFI Discover-funded exhibition of ‘The Vitruvian: Uncovering the Layers of Cancer’ during Science Week 2023 an art piece that effectively enhances the understanding of cancer. This new artwork will symbolise the ethos and context of the All-Island Cancer Research Institute and highlight key figures in cancer research and addressing pressing issues in cancer research and care, as well as promoting collaboration and innovation.
- DUBLIN: How It’s Made: Demystifying IOT in Transportation– The STEAM project will make it easier to understand or ‘demystify IOT Devices’, showing how technology can help us improve the quality of life for citizens and enable us to make changes to traffic systems to avoid congestion and accidents.
- DUBLIN: Reimagining The Irish Food System (Creating Sustainable Cities and Communities) – A series of engaging and thought-provoking talks and activities aimed at sparking conversations and actions to transform the way food is thought about, distributed, and consumed in Ireland. The events will bring the public together with experts, activists, and producers to explore innovative solutions for building resilient food systems.
- DUBLIN: Re-Generation: Sustainable Food for the Ages– “Re-Generation: Sustainable Food for the Ages” is an innovative Science Week event on Saturday, November 9th, 2024, aimed at stimulating curiosity, fostering dialogue, and promoting sustainable practices in the Westport region.
- DUBLIN: Dublin Book Festival 2024 (DBF2024)– A series of informative and inspiring literary events as part of DBF2024 which focuses on our need to develop new ways of approaching the challenges existing today in relation to ecology, biodiversity, health and sustainability.
- DUBLIN: Smalltalk – Big Ideas: Supporting local communities turn ideas into actions–Aligning with the theme of ‘small talk leading to big ideas’, our novel, inclusive and innovative event will comprise 3 interactive elements, to inform, inspire and engage attendees: 1. ‘Smalltalk’ short story collection launch (in partnership with Fighting Words); 2. An intergenerational co-creation workshop; and 3. A hands-on citizen science ‘regeneration’ activity.
- DUBLIN: Irish Sign Language and Artificial Intelligence, a performance– The performance is developed Deaf theatre makers for adult Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences. The performance builds on All the World’s a Screen and That is the Question—a live performance and film that we developed for Science Week 2022, combining Shakespeare performances with Sign Language Machine Translation.
- DUBLIN: Smart Cities Urban Quest: Adventure in the Docklands– This project combines the fun of escape rooms and scavenger hunts with a learning adventure through the Docklands, called the Smart Cities Urban Quest. This unique journey takes participants through tasks highlighting the importance of smart urban development and digital technology.
- DUBLIN: BIAS – Inequality in Women’s Health and Research– Aims to encourage a national dialogue around the biases that prevent women from receiving adequate healthcare, benefiting from research findings, and feeling valued and understood in society.
- DUBLIN: Foram / Forum – Giving voice to underrepresented groups in Climate Action– A 15 min video and audio artwork by disability and socially engaged artist AlanJames Burns, accompanied by an installation where Foram shells can be examined by audiences, a public talk event, and an extensive online programme ensuring national reach. These events are aimed at underserved and disability audiences.
- LOUTH: Louth Libraries Science Festival 2024– Two Science Fairs which will be in-line with the Science Week theme of ‘Regeneration’. Inspired by the SFI Strategy 2025, particularly focusing on the goal of ‘Delivering Today; Preparing for Tomorrow’, LSF will look at the past, present and future of what it means to be human.
- WESTMEATH: RegenHERate: Supporting Female Health and Performance- With a commitment to advancing women’s health and athletic performance, this project focuses on regeneration in the context of the relationship between sport and health in women.