The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Conor Lenihan has launched Science Week Ireland 2010.
More than 450 events will take place in this year’s Science Week, the theme of which is “Our Place in Space”, and organisers are expecting crowds of more than 100,000 to attend. The event is taking place from Sunday, 7 November until Sunday, 14 November.
One of the main initiatives for Science Week 2010 is a lecture series for members of the public, school children and key stakeholders and this year’s lecture series includes talks from Dr Martin Hendry – a senior lecturer in astronomy – who will give a talk titled, “Did We Really Land on the Moon?”
Will the world end in 2012?
Other speakers include Graeme Jones, a chemical ecologist, and addition to British astrophysicist Prof Jocelyn Bell Burnell who will hold a talk titled “Will the World end in 2012?”
Speaking at the launch, Lenihan said he expected Irish firms to expand into the broader space market in future, from software to satellite technologies.
“It is expected that the number and size of Irish companies active in the space market is set to expand over the coming years.
“The industry is currently worth over €20m to the Irish economy and scientists in Irish organisations work on a wide range of space projects, from software to satellite technologies and space station experiments.
“Through initiatives such as Science Week and the Discover Science and Engineering programme, we need to continue to invest in our young people and to encourage them to follow careers in areas which will foster future economic growth, such as the space industry.”
The aim of Science Week is to promote the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in our everyday lives and to demonstrate the importance of these disciplines to the future development of Irish society and the economy.
