Unravelling the mundane mysteries of mankind

THE LITTLE girl in the school uniform fingered the lethal shoebox landmine gingerly, listened in horror to the Army officer’s explanation of what it can do to a foot, and even worse description of what anti-tank mines can do, and then pounced with her killer question.

“Are there toilets in tanks and what do you do if you really, really need to go”?

The 11th annual science fair at IT Sligo yesterday was like that. The college was teeming with experts on everything from the properties of snot to the reason you can sit on a seat of nails without scarring your backside.

Thousands of children poured through the college as part of Science Week Ireland 2010, which got under way yesterday with events running all week throughout the Republic.

They were in search of answers to questions which parents normally just bat away, while also, according to Jeremy Bird, head of Sligo IT’s School of Science, whetting their appetite for a possible career in science.

Interestingly, there were two bazookas in the building. One, the real thing (disarmed of course), was on a table in the canteen where members of the Army’s engineering corps were outlining how the weapons can blow a helicopter out of the sky.

Down the corridor Randal Henly in the “Fun with Science” slot boasted props including a disposable nappy which was used to illustrate the utility of chemical-absorbing agents.

A litre of water was poured on to a nappy to prove the point, but Henly stressed that babies never pee in such volumes, a comment which seemed to provoke snorts of derision from some parents.

Sue McGrath’s riff about “disgusting digestion” was a big draw, thanks to her graphic account of how these things work. She also achieved top marks from parents for confirming that adults don’t have the answer to every question. “Why is snot green?” she asked dramatically, sparking a ripple of excitement in the audience which was immediately deflated as she declared: “I don’t know – it just is.”

More serious things were happening in the canteen where members of the Defence Forces’ engineering corps allowed children to pick up the deadly anti-personnel and anti-tank mines which cause such destruction throughout the world.

“Every 30 minutes in the world somebody loses a limb because of a mine,” explained Athlone-based Army man Michael Doherty who was momentarily floored by the toilet in the tank question.

Jeremy Bird surveyed the packed corridors enthusiastically and pointed out that this year there were almost 970 science students in the college, up from 850 last year.

Marketing is all important, he said and if, for example, he had labelled the four-year Forensic Science course “analytical chemistry” it might not have quite the same appeal.

“You do need to be wary of the CSI Miami thing,” he agreed. “There is, after all, only one forensic lab in the Phoenix Park.

Science Week continues runs until next Sunday. Full programme of events is available at scienceweek.ie

Themes of space and sea spark young scientific imaginations

THE NEXT generation of scientists were treated to a “fun day” of space experiments, shows, face-painting and much more as Science Week Ireland got under way in Galway yesterday.

Hosted by the Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill, the day’s activities were attended by hundreds of children and their parents.

Given the week’s theme, “Our Place in Space”, the organisers combined the themes of space and underwater life in an attempt to spark the imaginations of the young audience.

They hope to encourage more Irish students to consider a future in the sciences.

Predictably, however, the most popular line all day was not one of the many impressive scientific stalls dotted around the aquarium. It was the face-painting station, which left a large number of happy alien faces in the crowd.

The day was dampened somewhat by the cloudy weather outside, as the Galway Astronomy Club had hoped to allow children look at the sun through a special telescope.

While that activity had to be cancelled, many more were available. Children and a sizable number of adults enjoyed a blast from the past as early computer games of Pac-Man and Space Invaders were rolled out.

The audio/visual room in the centre was also used for a series of lectures aimed at the young audience, covering topics such as the solar system and ocean tides.