“If your culture doesn’t support diversity, your business will die.”

“We need to talk about homophobia, transphobia and biphobia in Irish STEM workplaces.”

“What if history was written by women?”

These are just some of the powerful soundbites you catch during the Inspirefest experience. This is the conference that sets an agenda built around diversity and inclusion, and focuses on topics at the intersection of science and technology with culture and the arts.

True to a conference that celebrates the interdisciplinary, the speakers don’t present as though the personal, professional and political are separate. Whole selves were on stage sharing the life-altering moments that brought them their ideas and motivations.

Ireland is currently on a high of political progression, but with international visitors at the event suffering through the trauma of their leaders’ decisions, the personal and passionate talks were often laced with threads of activism.

Images of hand-painted signs from different events of the past year appeared in presentations throughout:

‘We’re here. We’re peer reviewed. Get used to it.’

‘I can’t believe I still have to protest this shit.’

‘I fancy Simon Harris.’

There is a lot happening in the world outside of science and technology. But it’s all part of the same world of culture and greater humanity. This was the kernel at the heart of Domhnaill Hernon’s talk, as he returned to Inspirefest once more to introduce another of Nokia Bell Labs’ Experiments in Art and Technology featuring beatboxer Reeps One. Reeps’ performance – a blend of formal presentation, incredible beatbox mastery, documentary screening and a stunning live demo of artificial intelligence and voice technology – was a perfect representation of the artistic side of sci-tech that this event strives to showcase. And, according to Reeps One, we must embrace “that nervousness we avoid, that friction that we run from” to drive creativity.

In the closing session, as strategist Thaler Pekar directed the audience to engage with conversations among themselves, it was clear the boundaries had been successfully broken down. We were all connected. Not because of science or technology, but because of our humanity.

Take this inspiring moment from a new Ireland, and run with it.

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event celebrating the point where science, technology and the arts collide. Tickets for Inspirefest 2019 are available now.

The post A perfect blend: Inspirefest serves up a stimulating mix of STEM and humanity appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Entering the professional world, Imafidon found herself at major companies such as Goldman Sachs, Hewlett-Packard and Deutsche Bank, before she decided to master her own ship and co-found Stemettes.

This award-winning social enterprise is laying the groundwork for the next generation of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). Through panel events, hackathons, exhibitions and mentoring schemes, Stemettes aims to build a pipeline that will lead to at least 30pc representation of women across these industries.

Founded in 2013, Stemettes has reached 17,500 girls across Europe since then. The organisation’s fifth birthday came with the launch of Stemillions, which enables young women to set up their own local groups and communities.

The key ingredient to it all is a dash of fun, and there’s a friendly competitive element with groups joining one of four Stemillions ‘houses’ and uniting to earn house points.

Imafidon’s ultimate goal is to see a more diverse and balanced sci-tech community shaped by the young women progressing through such programmes. Awarded an MBE in last year’s Queen’s Honours list, Imafidon has also been named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Inspirational and Innovative Women.

For inspiration from extraordinary thinkers, catch Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon and more at Inspirefest in Dublin on 21 and 22 June. Get your tickets now.

The post Inspirefest snapshot: The prodigy turned empire-builder for girls in STEM appeared first on Silicon Republic.

The Vogue 25 includes those who would be no stranger to the magazine’s pages (Meghan Markle, Stella McCartney, Dua Lipa), household names (JK Rowling, Amal Clooney) and a diverse cross-section of leaders and pioneers in their fields, such as Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson, music executive Grace Ladoja and Manchester United COO Collette Roche.

Perhaps most refreshing, though, is the inclusion of voices from science, academia, tech journalism and environmentalism.

Sinéad Burke, academic and activist

Likely no stranger to Siliconrepublic.com readers, Sinéad Burke is noted on the Vogue 25 as “the author and campaigner [who] became a sensation”.

Burke has three times appeared at our annual Inspirefest event – first at the Fringe, then on the main stage and, last year, trying her hand at stand-up comedy for Bright Club. Born with achondroplasia, Burke has eagerly shared her perspective of the world from 3ft 5in tall, first finding her voice on social media and now with a TED talk that has been viewed more than 1.2m times.

Priyanka Joshi, biochemist

No stranger to major magazine accolades, Priyanka Joshi was previously named among Forbes’ ‘30 under 30’ in science in Europe. At the time, Joshi had barely completed her PhD in biophysics at Cambridge University and now, at 29 years old, she is a postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge’s Downing College, where she is investigating the role of metabolites on the aggregation of proteins implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Vogue praised her “groundbreaking work building a ‘library’ of drug-like molecules to target irregular proteins that cause degenerative brain diseases” and added that “her early breakthroughs and research could not be more vital”.

Carole Cadwalladr, journalist

The Observer’s phenomenal Carole Cadwalladr made the Vogue 25 along with The Guardian editor Katharine Viner and reporter Amelia Gentleman. While the write-up commends how these women “proved the power that traditional investigative journalism still holds” in the context of a new and difficult age for “old media”, Cadwalladr’s inclusion is for whistleblowing reports that epitomise modern life online.

Cadwalladr is one of the main reasons why many people now know the name Cambridge Analytica and are more informed of their place in a data-driven age. She led her readers into a post-GDPR era with a giant caution sign advising why the way in which digital platforms process your personal data matters.

Hannah Anderson, entrepreneur

Described by Vogue as “the greatest social-media influencer you’ve never heard of”, Hannah Anderson is co-founder of Social Chain. At 26 years old, she knows her way around memes, hashtags and obtuse internet vernacular, and the magazine deemed her “key to unlocking a millennial audience”. Her company leads social-media marketing strategies for major global brands such as Apple and Amazon and is known for its ability to launch a worldwide trend.

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Get your tickets now to join us in Dublin on 21 and 22 June 2018.

The post Vogue 25 celebrates science, social media and activism appeared first on Silicon Republic.

One such teenager is 14-year-old Taylor Richardson of Jacksonville, Florida, who is gearing up for her first visit to Inspirefest to tell her story of how she wants to emulate her icon – astronaut Dr Mae Jemison – by adding herself to the small list of African-American women who have made it into space so far.

Along with Jemison, only two other African-American women have broken through the atmosphere – Stephanie Wilson and Joan Higginbotham – so, if Richardson were to make it, she would surely join an illustrious group.

But where did her love of all things space start?

Speaking with Siliconrepublic.com, Richardson said that the first time she realised she wanted to be an astronaut was when she was nine years old (just five years ago) and attended NASA Space Camp, where eager kids get to see close up just what it would be like to work at the space agency.

Since going on to attend three more, Richardson has officially become a space obsessive and has been working hard on her studies, but also planning ahead for what she will need – and wants to achieve – as an astronaut.

‘My possibilities are limitless! Period’

“Once achieving the goal of becoming an astronaut, I would hope that people will look back or at me and say I brought girls and girls of colour with me,” she said.

“That the door and table opened, so no other girl, especially those of colour, will ever have to say: ‘I don’t see me in that field or career because no representation was there.’”

Given her age and NASA’s growing interest in sending humans to the moon once again and even beyond to Mars, does she think that she could one day set foot on the Red Planet?

With no doubt, that seems to be her plan: “I see me on Mars and I know my possibilities are limitless! Period.”

Keeping the dream going

But why do the vast majority of us give up our childhood dreams, and are more willing to lead a life that might be a lot more achievable but less rewarding in the long run?

For Richardson, she said it could be hard to pinpoint any particular reason as to why someone might not fulfil their dream, but in many cases it is definitely down to having someone close to you to push you on when it seems tough.

“Some of it could be due to the lack of support or encouragement from someone in their family, school and community,” she said. “Maybe the perception that failing will be too bad of a risk.”

This was certainly not the case for her as she said her mum instilled in her an essence of hard work and that paying it forward will bring her greater rewards in the future.

“I think what may be different from me than others is that my mum and grandmother really push me to believe that I can literally do anything if I set my mind to it, even when others have tried to say I couldn’t because I was a girl or because I was black,” she said.

“They are my motivators, my encouragers, my rocks.”

Before I dwell into my school books today, for finals I’m reading a few words of #wowsdom to start my day! Guess who page I’m reading @QueenSugarOWN @owntv @tinalifford! Y’all should definitely grab @DonnaOrender WOWSDOM: The girls guide to the positive and possible! @ava @Oprah pic.twitter.com/4rLmgL3amx

— Taylor Richardson (@astrostarbright) May 28, 2018

Where STEM is going

There have been efforts, of course, by various organisations – ranging from Black Girls Code to House of STEM – that are trying to encourage more diversity among children and adults in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), and these have proven successful.

However, Richardson believes that, where things are right now, much work still needs to be done.

“Diversity doesn’t mean anything if you don’t feel a part of something or welcomed,” she said. “As an advocate, I would love to have more resources financially to help those who dream of STEM to accomplish that goal – maybe a foundation of my own, something to help more.

“I think more advocates should reflect a more diverse representation and I think kids want to see themselves represented, and we are still not there yet.”

On that front, she has already started helping her local community with a book drive called Taylor’s Take Flight With a Book project, which donates books to kids in programmes who wouldn’t typically be able to afford them.

Then there were the crowdfunding campaigns, which have raised thousands of dollars to help disadvantaged kids see movies to inspire them, such as Hidden Figures and A Wrinkle in Time.

Speaking of Inspirefest, Richardson said she was excited not only to take part in the event and meet some interesting speakers such as Sheree Atcheson and Arlan Hamilton, but also embark on her first international trip.

“[Atcheson and Hamilton] are amazing and the work they are doing to ensure women and girls are represented and funded is phenomenal,” she said. “It’s going to be amazing and I’m honoured just to be a part of it!”

Taylor Richardson will be speaking at Inspirefest, Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Get your tickets now to join us in Dublin on 21 and 22 June 2018.

The post With dreams of making it into space, this girl is a real inspiration appeared first on Silicon Republic.

More than 10,000 visitors passed through the RDS on 26 May to check out the projects as well as have some fun with interactive displays dedicated to all things STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

A stage running throughout the event hosted demonstrations as well as discussions on topics such as parenting and educating in the digital age, and the problematic numbers of girls in STEM.

Amy Neale, vice-president of Mastercard Start Path, was one of the voices on the ‘Girls in STEM’ panel. “There’s a load of research that suggests that girls learn differently to boys,” she said as we caught up afterwards to further discuss the points she had raised.

Neale explained that this research indicates that girls learn more through collaboration and are really concerned about how technology can be impactful and meaningful. “They want to see the difference technology can make in the world,” she said.

200,000 girls by 2020

“We had looked into that research ourselves, and some of the engineers across Mastercard put together a curriculum taking those factors into account to enable girls to learn about technology in new ways.”

The result is the Girls4Tech programme. Launched in 2014, the award-winning education initiative teaches the foundations of STEM principles through workshops tailored for how girls learn.

Thousands of visitors to Coolest Projects had the opportunity to see this programme in action. The Mastercard stand was decked out as a Girls4Tech space, but all the eager young kids attending were invited to take on the interactive challenges.

They could do their best impression of a World War II codebreaker or get hands-on with some props and games to help them understand cryptology and logical thinking.

“It’s been mad!” said Tammy Hawkins, another Mastercard VP helping out at the event. “We’ve had a busy booth all day long. We’ve taught hundreds of young folks about cryptology and algorithms today.”

But the numbers don’t stop at engaging Coolest Projects attendees. “We’ve set a target as a company to have 200,000 girls go through our Girls4Tech programme by 2020,” said Neale.

For Neale, the reason companies such as Mastercard will continue addressing the STEM pipeline for girls in particular is simple: it improves the bottom line and other important metrics.

“Basically, companies that have diversity between boys and girls [and] have a good gender balance do better,” she said.

The post Girls4Tech and STEM for all at Coolest Projects appeared first on Silicon Republic.

Michelle Cullen and Eithne Harley

From left: Eithne Harley and Michelle Cullen. Image: @EithneHarley/Twitter

Accenture’s Dr Michelle Cullen and Eithne Harley helped change 230 years of history and place the first portraits of women academics on the walls of the Royal Irish Academy as part of a campaign called Women on Walls. Now, they have turned their attention to the walls of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Harley, who is director of integrated marketing at Accenture Ireland, has been a strong advocate for getting the stories of women in senior positions out there to encourage others, including as a council member of the Dublin Theatre Festival since 2013. Liberties native Cullen, meanwhile, has included a number of appearances at Inspirefest among her speaking engagements on inclusion and diversity, along with being Accenture’s MD sponsor on the issue.

Geena Davis

Geena Davis. Image: M Jacobson – Gonzalez/ITU Pictures/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Award-winning actor Geena Davis has done a lot to amplify stories about women by continually championing female representation on screen through her organisation, the Geena Davis Institute.

The institute publishes research on female portrayals in media, and lobbies TV and film organisations to improve gender ratios in TV and films as well as to provide better female role models for young girls to look up to.

In 2012, Davis was named the ITU’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls in the field of technology, meaning it is her responsibility to raise awareness worldwide of how ICT can empower women.

Becky Douglas, Claire Murray, Laura Tobin and Jess Wade

Claire Murray. Image: Sean Dillow | Becky Douglas. Image: @BeckyDouglas/Twitter

Having a poster project is something that defines what a person or group of people have achieved, and in the case of Dr Jess Wade, Dr Claire Murray, Laura Tobin and Becky Douglas, that’s literally the case. The four teamed up to do what many history books have failed to do: showcase a number of amazing and talented women in science.

With the internet and social media at their disposal, the group began by creating and releasing posters of leading Irish women scientists, before expanding the artistic endeavour to Scotland and Wales.

Jess Wade. Image: Imperial College London | Laura Tobin. Image: UCD

All four have achieved recognition in their own right, including ‘Laser Laura’ Tobin as co-organiser of Dublin Maker; Murray, who works for Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility; Douglas, who is a gravitational-wave nerd and sci-comm enthusiast; and Wade as another prominent sci-comm enthusiast, and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics and Centre for Plastic Electronics at Imperial College London.

Recently, Wade has also found fame for her facial expressions on BBC’s Newsnight after hearing a particularly sexist claim about women’s abilities.

Marie Hicks

Marie Hicks. Image: Illinois Institute of Technology

Marie Hicks is a historian of technology, gender and modern Europe at the Illinois Institute of Technology, specialising in the history of computing. Her latest book, Programmed Inequality, investigates how Britain lost its early edge in computing by discarding the majority of pioneering computer workers and experts simply because they were women. She has also written extensively about the history of gender and racial discrimination in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Currently, Hicks is working on a project that examines how transgender Britons interacted with computerised systems of the British welfare state in the 20th century.

Heather Massie

Heather Massie. Image: Facebook

Heather Massie is an actor and writer based in New York City who will take to the stage at Inspirefest this summer. Her passion for science led her to study astrophysics as well as theatre, and Massie has married her love of science and performance with Hedy: The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr.

The popular one-woman show written and performed by Massie shines a light on Lamarr as a movie star as well as her incredible intelligence. Lamarr invented the technology for frequency hopping and spread spectrum, which enabled the world of wireless communication as we know it.

Elena Rossini

Elena Rossini. Image: Conor McCabe Photography

Elena Rossini is a filmmaker and creator of ‘This Is What a Film Director Looks Like’, an initiative to populate Giphy and Twitter with GIFs of women and minority film directors to increase their visibility and dispel the stereotype that people often think of when they think ‘film director’: white and male.

Rossini directed critically acclaimed documentary The Illusionists, which examines unattainable beauty standards. Her website, No Country For Young Women, also showcases interviews with hundreds of women across five continents with the aim of providing positive female role models for young girls. She has also shared the story of Lottie Dolls, dreamed up by young girls and sent to space.

Angela Saini

Angela Saini. Image: Imperial College London

Is there such thing as a ‘man’s job’? That was the question author and science journalist Angela Saini asked herself, putting these ideas up to scientific scrutiny. The result was her book Inferior, which examined studies such as whether boys naturally prefer playing with cars over dolls.

Saini’s work is now considered a leading analysis of gender stereotypes and, unsurprisingly, has shown that the idea of a woman’s role as exclusively being a homemaker is unfounded.

Saini has numerous awards to her name, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Kavli Science Journalism gold award.

Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian. Image: Jessica Zollman

Anita Sarkeesian became well known in 2012 when she received a deluge of online harassment after raising funds for a web series that sought to critique how women are portrayed in video games. The American-Canadian cultural critic and founder of Feminist Frequency, however, is weary of the association: “It’s frustrating to be known as the woman who survived #Gamergate,” she told The Guardian.

She much prefers telling the stories of women, both contemporary and historical. Feminist Frequency hosts videos that examine how women are portrayed in pop culture. Its most recent venture, Ordinary Women: Daring to Defy History, seeks to shed light on the accomplishments of some of the most fascinating female leaders, innovators and heroes throughout history.

^{>> CHECK OUT THE FULL WOMEN INVENT 100 2018}

Inspirefest is Silicon Republic’s international event connecting sci-tech professionals passionate about the future of STEM. Get your Early Bird tickets now to join us in Dublin on 21 and 22 June 2018.

The post The Storytellers: 12 women shining a spotlight on women in STEM appeared first on Silicon Republic.

We’re very excited to present to you the Sci-Tech 100 2018 – an inspiring list of game-changers to watch in the year ahead. This year’s list features lots of fresh faces along with a few familiar ones who are up to new tricks.

Across seven categories, we’ve selected 100 figures who not only inspired us this year but from whom we expect great things in 2018. Watch this space.

The Thought Leaders

This diverse set of thinkers across science, technology, innovation and business are the driving forces to watch in 2018. Some change-makers are leading the charge from the top of their sector, while others are disrupting entire industries from the bottom up. Wherever their voices are being heard, these are the people set to shape the sci-tech industries of 2018 with their ideas.

^{FEATURING: JIM AL-KHALILI | MARC BENIOFF | SINÉAD BURKE | LIZ CAROLAN | ANIL DASH | FABIAN DATTNER & JESS MELBOURNE THOMAS | SUSAN FOWLER | CINDY GALLOP | MARTHA LANE FOX | NILOFER MERCHANT | LUKE O’NEILL | LISA SVENSSON | IDA TIN | ZEYNEP TUFEKCI | NAOMI WU}

The Firestarters

There are investors putting their money where their values are and supporting out-of-the-ordinary entrepreneurs and under-represented founders. Alongside them are those who are transforming the typical investment model, as well as the fixers focused on the pipeline problem. Our Sci-Tech 100 segment of trailblazers for change in the start-up community is 100pc women. Go figure.

^{FEATURING: SARA BRAND | SUSAN LYNE & NISHA DUA | NIAMH GIVEN | ARLAN HAMILTON | ARI HORIE | SALLIE KRAWCHECK | AILEEN LEE | CLAIRE LEE | VIOLA LLEWELLYN | ROYA MAHBOOB | NATALIA OBERTI NOGUERA | ELLEN PAO | ANNE RAVANONA | VICKI SAUNDERS | SYDNEY THOMAS | SHARON VOSMEK}

The Architects of the Future

New ideas need infrastructure, from nuts and bolts, bits and bytes, to policy and regulation.  These are the people drawing the lines that bind the future of science and technology, and creating the stable foundations on which this future will be built. They are the policymakers, data protectors, blockchain architects and cloud controllers we need for progress.

^{FEATURING: YASMEEN AHMAD | OZ ALASHE | BRIAN BEHLENDORF | CATHERINE BRESLIN | DYLAN COLLINS | MADY DELVAUX | EVA GALPERIN | DAKOTA GRUENER | LORY KEHOE | THEO LYNN | WILL MARSHALL | BASHAR NUSEIBEH | JULIA REDA | MATTHIAS SPIELKAMP | DAVID TREAT}

The Connectors

Connecting the world and the growing number of smart devices in it is no mean feat, but some key enablers are up to the challenge. From ICT to IoT, these telecoms leaders, researchers and innovators are taking us to the the next generation of communications.

^{FEATURING: PRINCE ANANDARAJAH | AYAH BDEIR | VITTORIO COLAO | LISA SEACAT DELUCA | LINDA DOYLE | MICHAEL JOSEPH | CARL PEI | STÉPHANE RICHARD | MARCUS WELDON}

The Life-Changing Innovators

With every advancing decade, we are living longer lives thanks to the kind of remarkable medical advances dreamed up by some of these innovators. There are also those developing the science and technology to ensure these lengthening lifespans can be happy and healthy ones, not to mention those keeping tabs on the temperature of the Earth and reminding us that it, too, needs help for its survival.

^{FEATURING: QUARRAISHA ABDOOL KARIM | ELINA BERGLUND | GERALDINE BOYLAN | NIAMH BUCKLEY | CIARA CLANCY | JOHN CRYAN | JENNIFER DOUDNA | NORA KHALDI | RACHEL MCLOUGHLIN | ANDREW PARNELL | ADRIAN RAFTERY | ELLEN ROCHE | LEONARD SCHLEIFER | INDU SUBAIYA}

The Futurists

Some of us are just looking to 2018 while others have the vision to see further. Working with the most advanced science and technology, these visionaries are mapping out the shifting landscape of the 21st century.

^{FEATURING: GENEVIEVE BELL | MICHAEL BUCKWALD | JOHN CHAMBERS | ROBIN CHASE | JONATHAN COLEMAN | JENS DUCRÉE | DAVID MOLONEY | ANDREW NG | VALERIA NICOLOSI | LORNA ROSS | PATRICIA SCANLON | RAY KURZWEIL | CONOR WALSH | ANDY WAY | MICHAEL ZAWOROTKO}

The Future of Work Experts

What will the brave new world of 2018 mean for the average sci-tech employee? Here are the the people guiding the way towards a new paradigm of work, and changing recruitment, productivity and the workplace as we know it.

^{FEATURING: SHEREE ATCHESON | ALEX BERNADOTTE | JOSH BERSIN | KIMBERLY BRYANT | TRACY CHOU | MARC COLEMAN | DAVID COLLINGS | PAUL DAUGHERTY | TIFFANY DUFU | ADRIENNE GORMLEY | VIVIENNE MING | KATHRYN MINSHEW | MONICA PARKER | HAYLEY SUDBURY}

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Sugru

If there’s someone in your family who likes to ‘hack things better’, then Sugru is an essential tool for their maker kit. This mouldable glue cures at room temperature to form a sturdy silicone fixer-upper. Prices range from €9 for a three-pack in various colour combinations, to €15 for a kit with added magnets. Right now, for the festive season, it’s four items for the price of three on everything at Sugru.com, and you can also find this ‘21st-century duct tape’ in stores across the country.

Image: Sugru

Space-wear

If you know someone with a penchant for the astronomical, you can deck them out in designs from the European Space Agency, with T-shirts, hoodies, bags, phone covers and mugs to choose from. There’s even a special festive range (hoodie, €33) for the season that’s in it.

Now available in the #ESAshop – a new collection of ESA merchandise featuring the Solar System, plus some seasonal surprises!https://t.co/zk0fIUgXyD pic.twitter.com/Ih5pfdExuO

— ESA (@esa) December 4, 2017

A helpful stocking filler

For the forgetful friend, the Tile Mate (€26, Currys PC World) is a little godsend. The little keyring attaches to just about anything and connects to your phone. Lose your phone? Press the Tile Mate to find it. Lose your Tile Mate (and what it’s attached to – say, your keys) and tap the app to find that.

Image: Tile

Adopt a HeroRat

If you’re fed up of the consumerism of the festive season and want to give a bit more than gifts this year, you could always adopt a rat. Not just any old rat, but an Apopo HeroRat. Social entrepreneur Bart Weetjens has trained teams of HeroRats to detect mines and even tuberculosis. These life-saving rodents are hard at work in Cambodia and Tanzania. For £6 a month, you can adopt your own and learn more about the impact of this programme.

Bart Weetjens, founder of Apopo. Image: Yasuyoshi Chiba

All prices correct at time of publication

The post 8 cool gift ideas for a grown-up geek appeared first on Silicon Republic.

While this list is one for the kids – boys and girls, big and small – we have to admit we wouldn’t mind having the chance to play with any of the below ourselves. For science!

Slime and putty kits

Slime, putty – whatever your kids are calling it, it’s a new favourite fad for them to have fun with. The gloopy goo that behaves more solid-like under pressure can be made at home fairly easily, and there are plenty of kits to help you add colour and personality, such as Science4you’s The Science of Slime (€10, Art & Hobby) and the Putty Peeps Mixing Lab (€20, Designist).

All prices correct at time of publication

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The post 15 inspiring gift ideas for clever and curious kids appeared first on Silicon Republic.

1. 32 of Hong Kong’s hottest tech start-ups to watch in 2018

Hong Kong has always been about trade and in the 21st century a coterie of promising start-ups are keeping the tradition. Here’s just a few to sate your appetite.

2. Boost for Ireland’s start-ups as income tax is removed from share options

KEEP scheme will prove to be an important lever for companies to reward and retain staff as war for tech talent escalates.

3. Final three Spark of Genius 2017 finalists going to Lisbon revealed

The search for Ireland’s most high-potential start-up is nearly complete.

4. Extreme-weather app generates 500,000 alerts during Ophelia

Weather app MapAlerter was on call during Storm Ophelia.

5. New research ‘completely changes’ our understanding of the moon

More secrets surrounding the moon’s past have recently been unlocked showing evidence for a ‘significant’ atmosphere.

6. DeepMind team behind AlphaGo wins inaugural ‘Nobel Prize for AI’

For achieving what few thought they could, the DeepMind team behind AlphaGo has been awarded the inaugural ‘Nobel Prize for AI’ by the IJCAI.

7. Lego reveals its Women of NASA series, but ‘hidden figure’ missing

After a long campaign, Lego is to release its Women of NASA set, featuring four of its iconic members – but there’s one noticeable omission.

8. Mate 10 is not a smartphone, it’s an intelligent machine, says Huawei

The Chinese tech manufacturer is pulling out all the stops to swat away competitors – from Apple to Google and Samsung – in terms of claiming the crown in a new epoch for smart devices.

9. Rock and coal: How to become a geologist in 5 easy(ish) steps

If being between a rock and a hard place is your idea of bliss, becoming a geologist might just rock your world.

10. Challenge yourself with these 10 Maths Week brainteasers

Marking Maths Week Ireland’s 12th and biggest year of events to date, we round up some tricky mathematical puzzles for you to solve.

The post Weekend takeaway: Let your ideas fly into the sci-tech sky appeared first on Silicon Republic.