This will be the 8th year of the festival, which is organised by Calmast, the award winning science outreach centre at Waterford Institute of Technology. 

Events at this year festival include guided walks through JFK arboretum, a dusk chorus walk led by broadcaster and author Eric Dempsey on Sun May 20^th at 7pm in Carriganore woods, guided walks of Fenor Bog on Fri May 25^th, a bat walk on Sat May 26^th, various guided walks through the copper coast geopark and a guided marine walk in Tramore on Tues May 22^nd. There are also a variety of workshops for children including make an insect hotel and one on making a birdbox from recycled materials. Further information is available at www.livingearth.ie .  All events are free

This unique and inclusive festival is a partnership between visitor centres and organisations in the south-east of Ireland interested in promoting science outdoors and is particularly designed for young people. Partners include the Waterford City and County Councils,  Copper Coast Geopark, Waterford Institute of Technology Research Groups and Department of Chemical and Life Sciences, JFK Arboretum, The National Biodiversity Data Collection Centre, Hill walking clubs, Lismore Heritage Centre etc.

The Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science aims to develop people’s awareness and interest in important environmental issues such as climate change and biodiversity and is held to coincide with the International Day of Biological Diversity on the 22^nd of May.

In ancient Celtic times the festival of Bealtaine celebrated the arrival of summer.  The Bealtaine Science Festival of Outdoor Science celebrates the Living Planet with an emphasis on activities that increase understanding of our surroundings and the plants and animals that we share the world with.

The week is co- ordinated by CALMAST, the leading centre for the promotion of science, maths, engineering and technology in Ireland.  In addition to the Bealtaine festival, the centre organises three other science festivals annually – the Waterford Science Festival, Waterford Engineering Week and co-ordinates Maths Week nationally. 

Looking ahead to the events, Dr Nick Mc Carthy CALMAST, said they offered a chance to celebrate all that’s best about Irish nature and wildlife. “We’re hugely fortunate in the southeast to have easy access to a hugely diverse natural environment and we expect over 2,000 participants in the festival. The programme of free events for the Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science allows us celebrate our living Earth in a special way without leaving our own localities. By getting up close with nature we can get a new understanding and appreciation of our region.”

CALMAST’s  Dr Padraig Kirwan adds: “This is our eight annual Outdoor Science Festival and we have a special programme to mark International Day for Biological Biodiversity .We  can teach young people about the importance of biodiversity and environment by exploring their local heritage, while families can learn more about our woodlands, hills and coasts and visit again and again through the summer. This festival is a partnership of wonderful groups in the Southeast that despite economic difficulties are giving their time voluntarily to celebrate the marvellous natural heritage of the region.”

Further information is available at www.livingearth.ie while all events are free, bookings must be made through Eleanor Reade at Waterford Institute of Technology’s School of Science 051 302037 or ereade@wit.ie

Details:

Sheila Donegan

Calmast

Waterford Institute of Technology

sdonegan@wit.ie

086 2347259

Venue           Ramada Hotel, Waterford (visit to bat roost afterwards)

Time/date      5:45pm-  10:30pm Saturday 26th May

A bat monitoring workshop for members of the public who are interested in participating in surveys to be conducted by MISE and BCIreland this summer.
Participants will learn how to use a bat detector, how to identify signs indicating that bats are present at a potential roost site, and how to carry out an emergence survey to count the number of bats exiting a roost at dusk.

MISE stands for "Mammals in a Sustainable Environment" and is a joint research project between Southeast of Ireland and Wales. MISE researchers are also working on other important mammals and if you are interested in learning more about MISE check here

http://www.calmast.ie/news/calmast-wins-spirit-of-enterprise-award

Students from Waterford and Wexford travelled to JFK Arboretum for a guided forest and nature trail with Dr Nick McCarthy who talked about the habitats and Irish mythology of the different plant species.

Dr Colm McCarthy from Spellman University and a group of students in Ballymacarbry, Co. Waterford had fun with Fibonacci numbers in nature.  Colm entertained the students during his talk  with observations about maths in nature and some card tricks. Colm then headed to Clonmel to give a workshop about measuring trees and rivers without actually getting your hands on them.

Later Colm and Dr Sheila Donegan gave an interview on WLRfm’s Ian Noctor programme about Colm’s work and the Bealtaine festival.

In the afternoon, there was a guided walk of some of the woodland area at the Waterford IT Carriganore Campus.  Eric Dempsey, along with horticulture and forestry experts from Waterford IT introduced the group to the varied wildlife in the area, from the house matins nesting under the eaves of Carriganore buildings to deadly hemlock growing by the streams.

The day finished with an evening walk around the Trawnamoe region led Sean O’ Connor of the Copper Coast Geopark. The walk turned out to involve a bit of climbing as well, but the effort was more than worth it for the beautiful views of the bay.

On Tuesday Dr Nick McCarthy gave a series of workshops on how to make bird-boxes to children from local primary schools. Splitting into groups, the children made their own bird-boxes, designed by Nick, to bring home.  The boxes should last for 7- 8 years before rotting and now the students know how to make more to replace these ones in the future. During the workshop Nick told the students about native birds and their nesting habits.  He also gave tips on where to put the bird-boxes to keep them safe from predators and so that birds will be encouraged to nest in them.

One of the best way to understand how baby chicks develop, according to Nick, is to watch the Mooney webcam monitoring the development of baby blue tits in the nest at the moment on the RTE Mooney Goes Wild webpage, http://www.rte.ie/radio/mooneygoeswild/features/mooneycam/bluetitcam.html

Energy: what we need it for and all its sources were investigated in two talks given by Eoin Gill. Eoin discussed how traditional sources of energy are used and the different sources of energy people are beginning to use now that fossil fuels like oil and coal are running out.  There were many practical demonstrations of the different types of energy, from solar power to biofuels and more than one or two(controlled) explosions.

 In the evening, Bruce Mc Donald gave a guided tour of the geology and history of Tankardstown and Stage Cove, alongside stunning scenery. The tour started at the ruin of the Tankardstown Cornish Engine House where during the last century the engine stored here pumped the local copper mines to a depth of 400 meters. Then the group walked to Stage Cove where the geology of the area was discussed. It was fascinating to see the almost bottomless mine shafts and the weather was decidedly better than it had been on the walk last year.

  Photographs(above and below) Brendan Jackman Photography               

Sometimes it’s difficult to think that how people lived without laptops, ipods, or televisions. How could a person survive without electricity or running water? Eoin Gill gave a presentation on how science can help you survive in a variety of hostile environments, whether you find yourself in the freezing cold tundra or the baking desert. Eoin showed students how to build fires using pieces of wood , catch food and even how to find water in the driest conditions.

The Peoples’ Park hosted a nature trail and walk exploring the biodiversity of the park with Ella Ryan of the Waterford City Council. Using fun yet simple activities, Ella demonstrated to primary school students that every living thing is connected. Pictures of the students having outdoor fun were published in the Examiner.

Dr Colm Mulcahy gave an excellent lecture on Martin Gardner, the American mathematician who died in 2010 and who was one on the most prolific maths writers of the last century. Colm gave interesting insights into Gardner’s lifework as a ‘recreational mathematician’ and highlighted the many facets of his career as a mathematician, educator, magician, sceptical thinker and writer, among others. During his lifetime, Martin Gardner published over 70 books and wrote his famous Mathematical Games column in the Scientific American magazine from 1956 to 1981. Maths Week Ireland hopes to celebrate the annual Gathering for Gardner, which takes place on the 21^st of October, as part of Maths Week 2011.

Sean O’Connor from the Copper Coast Geopark gave a talk on Natural Navigation in the evening.  Long before GPS were invented, people used the sun, the moon and the stars to pinpoint locations. A little bit of knowledge (for instance knowing that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west) along with basic maths and tracking the movement of the sun or moon over a short period can help us discover our location anywhere. The position of churches and of trees, shrubs and lichens can also give insight into directions of north, south, east and west. Even urban surroundings can give clues into compass location.  The talk was on too early to practice with real stars but everyone was left with plenty of information to try out in the future.