Science celebrations across Offaly this November
The Midlands Science Festival will be taking place across Offaly for people of all ages from November 11 – 18.
One of the key activities we can look forward to in Offaly this year is all about ‘Pollinators, Music and Plants’ and this takes place in Tullamore Library on November 13. This event is a unique celebration of the music and ecology of pollinators and will provide lots of hints and tips to encourage pollinators in your garden.
Other planned activities include the award-winning ‘Anyone 4 Science’ team who will be running their popular, hands on science workshops in Edenderry Library on November 12 in addition to the Junior Einsteins Science Club who will also be back to Tullamore Library on November 12 for a day of slime, rockets, smoke cannons, making elephant toothpaste and much more.
The key evening public event for Offaly for this year is all about the science of golf. It takes place in the Esker Hills Golf Club in Ballinamere just outside Tullamore town on the evening of November 13. It may surprise people to find out that golf is a game that has more interesting physics than any other. There is the aerodynamics of a golf ball in flight, the fundamentals of striking the ball, the generation of spin, and a formula for sending the ball in intentionally curved paths, such as deliberate hooks and slices.
Director of the Midlands Science Festival, Jackie Gorman said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Ian Kenny of the University of Limerick [UL] to Esker Hills Golf Club to explore the science of golf during Science Week 2018. Ian is a senior lecturer in Biomechanics at the University of Limerick and is involved with an interdisciplinary research group at UL which is focussed on golf performance. His PhD research was on golf performance and he worked within the R&D team for the R&A Rules Ltd. in St. Andrews for the duration of his PhD research. This free event for Science Week is bound to be of interest to golfers of all ages and ability.
“This year’s programme really is bigger and better than ever before with so much variety for people of all ages to enjoy,” Ms Gorman said. “We are also looking forward to our fun and engaging Rediscovery workshops in Birr library on November 15 where primary school children will have the opportunity to participate in a number of exciting activities and learn about the science of sustainability in our communities and the Reptile Zoo Village will also return to the county this year, this time to Banagher Library on November 17 for a day of getting up close to snakes, tortoises and spiders if you so desire!”
See www.midlandsscience.ie for more event details and booking and join us this November 11th-18th in celebrating science in Offaly!