That's the trouble with National Science week. Just when one is getting into the chemical properties of home cooking oil or the mysteries of Schrodinger's cat or the biological qualities of head lice, it's all over and the school curriculum resumes.
Not so in the west of Ireland, however, where Galwegians make sure the fun lasts a fortnight. Over 150 schools and some 13,500 primary and post-primary students from both city and county will be participating in Galway's annual Science and Technology Festival which opens next Monday, November 21st.
Details of the programme involving some 14 "headline acts" were unveiled last night in the healthcare multinational, Medtronic, in Galway by Ireland's best-known theoretical physicist - the current Rose of Tralee Aoibhínn Ní Shúilleabháin.
Once again, the Scottish company, Rude Mechanicals, will return to demonstrate some simple principles of design and technology, while Madlabs will give workshops on creating simple electronic circuits, where participants can solder anything from a set of flashing lights to a programmable robot.
New to Galway this year will be Science2Life, presented by Sue McGrath. She will use props such as broomsticks, basketballs, baking soda, balloons and washing-up liquid in a combination of physics and chemistry. Natalie Ford of the Oxford Trust in Britain will also explore gravity, combustion and various chemical reactions in her presentation on "Cartoon Science".
The programme culminates in a one-day exhibition and series of running performances for adults and children on Sunday, November 27th, at Leisureland and the Galway Bay Hotel. Further details on the festival are available from the organisers, Galway Education Centre, at (091) 745600 and website www.galwayscience.ie
