A ROVING exhibition, a national innovations award and programmes on RTE radio and television are among the activities planned as part of the 1997 Science, Technology and Innovation Awareness Programme.
The aims of the programme are to publicise science and technology and to highlight the benefits they bring to the State, according to Mr Colm Regan, executive director of Forfas and chairman of the working group running the programme.
Most of the overseas industries which are fuelling the current high level of employment creation are science and technology based, he said. Yet a radical transformation in the attitude of society as a whole was needed.
"We still have a serious unemployment problem, yet with many vacancies for scientific and technologically qualified personnel why are the natural laws of supply and demand not working?" he asked. "The only realistic explanation is that opinion leaders are still not sufficiently aware that science, technology and innovation are the driving forces of today's global economy."
According to a survey conducted by Forfas, some people felt science was difficult and boring, according to Mr John Travers, chief executive of Forfas. There was also a feeling among certain people that science could adversely affect the environment.
The National Innovation Awards, sponsored by Price Waterhouse and The Irish Times, were launched last November. Entries are now being assessed, and the awards will be presented on June 12th next.
A key element of the programme is encouraging young people to take up science in their studies and as a career. A CDROM on careers in engineering has been prepared by Ms Lisa Looney of DCU and Ms Lucy McAulay of the RTC in Tallaght, and will be distributed to schools and libraries.
RTE will present 26 radio programmes highlighting recent developments in the area and there will be a six part television series on Irish science and technology. Children will be targeted in the afternoon children's programme, The Den.
There will also be a travelling Science, Technology and Innovation roads how, which will bring interactive science and technology around the State, including to the Ploughing Championships.
The kind of interest Forfas would like to see came in the presence at the launch of the programme yesterday of six children from Hollypark Boys Primary School in Foxrock, Co Dublin, which has a teacher dedicated to science for pupils from first class upwards.