Programme for Secondary Schools 2011

Prebooking required for all events with Nan O Brien at 051 845625, nobrien@wit.ie, or Mary Ryan at 051 302482

The Bealtaine Festival for Outdoor Science is a partnership of groups interested in Celebrating our Living Earth in the Southeast of Ireland and is coordinated by Calmast. Waterford IT through Calmast offers a wide range of science, technology, engineering and maths programmes for schools in the Southeast, attracting over 12,000 visitors to four annual festivals: Maths Week Ireland, Waterford Science Festival, Engineering Week and Bealtaine Festival of Outdoor Science.

Venue

Activity

Presenter

Days

Times

Groups

WIT Atrium
Waterford Institute of Technology

Robert Mallet: Irish Engineer & Scientist, A Commemorative Exhibition:
The Irish engineer and scientist Robert Mallet (1810–1881) is one of Ireland’s many unsung scientific heroes. His contributions to the fields of engineering, seismology, volcanology and ballistic ordnance were of global significance. As 2010 sees the bicentenary of his birth, this exhibition will highlight his leading role in solving critical scientific questions.

WIT & RDS

 Fri 6th May –
23rd May

8 am – 8 pm

General Public,
Schools
WIT Auditorium
Waterford Institute of Technology

Interactive presentation on earthquakes, and see Robert Mallet’s work in action

Dr. Tom Blake & Grace Campbell,
Dublin Institute for Advanced
Studies

Fri 13th

12.00 pm

Secondary
School

Clonmel

Accessible shortcuts to inaccessible lengths: how to estimate the heights and widths of things without actually getting your hands on them. How tall is that tree? How far across is that river? If we can’t climb (or chop down) the tree, or cross the river, how can we estimate these measurements with just a measuring tape and a few pieces of paper? The answer is to use a little geometry, and a little imagination!

Dr. Colm Mulcahy,
Spelman College, Atlanta
USA

Mon 16th

12.30am

Secondary
School
River Mahon, Kill

Investigation of river ecology with Michael Breen

Dr. Michael Breen , WIT

Tues 17th

10 am
11.30 am

Secondary
School
WIT Auditorium
Waterford Institute of
Technology

The Amazing World of Plants. Professor Dolan will speak about the evolution of life and in particular plant life and explain how his work in studying the developments of plants has led to a greater understanding of how plants work. He will also outline how these discoveries are may
lead to the development of plants that could grow in less fertile soils to help feed the Earth’s   growing population. Aimed at a general audience, this and is an excellent opportunity to hear an internationally renowned researcher in this field and gain an appreciation of how plants work and
an awareness of how basic research can lead to applied developments that can benefit mankind

Professor Liam Dolan,
Sherardian Professor of
Botany, University of Oxford

Fri 20th

10.30am

Secondary
school students

logos