Science Week is one of the busiest periods of the year for me. Months of work making TV shows culminates and there are so many fascinating events to attend. Here are five things you might spot during Science Week 2023.
1. 10 Things to Know About…is back.
Each year filming 10 Things to Know About I am buoyed by the researchers I meet working on some of the most important challenges facing society - from planting resilient trees, to improved ways of tracking and tackling waterborne diseases.
The ninth series of RTÉ’s science show is back on our screens this week with a deep dive into topics ranging from fungi to inflammatory bowel disease.
The first episode about trees is a strong reminder that we have all the knowledge and tools we need to fix the climate and biodiversity crisis.
The simple act of planting a tree sucks carbon out of the atmosphere, cleans our air, improves soil health, boosts biodiversity, helps regulate the water cycle and connects us to nature in a way that will, if your tree keeps growing, last for decades and maybe even after you’ve left the planet.
We need to plant a tremendous number of trees to make a dent in emissions but among the avalanche of bad news today planting a tree is a tangible, positive action that most of us can do. If you have a garden promise to plant a bare root tree this winter and watch it grow in 2024 or volunteer with a tree planting organisation like Trees Please or Hometree and spend a day laying down roots.
2. ‘Tomorrow Tonight’ tomorrow night
Finally, someone has invented a time machine and allowed us to fast forward to 2050. Tomorrow Tonight is a fictitious current affairs show set in November 2050 during a crunch UN summit that promises to bring in sweeping mandatory powers for climate action. On RTÉ1 on Wednesday at 9.35pm presenters Mark Little and Carla O’Brien and panels of experts will guide viewers through breaking news moments and reflect the Irish and international stories of the day.
I, along with a large team of talented people, have been working on this project throughout the year. The hope is to harness the power of present tense storytelling and the familiar format of a current affairs show to generate fresh conversations and spur climate action. Do tune in!
3. Science is for everyone, not just budding scientists
Living in 2023 we are all the benefactors of scientific progress and ingenuity. Science Week is a nationwide initiative to engage the entire population on the impacts of science, technology, engineering and maths.
Organisers want to instil a curiosity in the next generation of scientists and engineers, but the event is not just for people with an eye on a career in STEM. Not everyone desires, or is destined, to become a scientist but we all need to navigate an increasingly complex world shaped by forces of science and engineering, therefore we need to be informed citizens to understand the consequences of new gene editing techniques or AI breakthroughs or algorithms influencing our romantic lives.
We need a population of critical thinkers who know how to look and appraise robust evidence and determine how best to build the future.
Science is a team effort spanning the globe and we need more women in STEM. If we are going to solve the world's problems, if we’re going to build the future, if we're going to have science creating new cures and new technologies then we need people from diverse backgrounds with unique perspectives to create a future that serves everybody.
4. You might see a volcanic eruption
Worried Icelanders are keeping a close eye on real volcanoes this week, but volcanoes have a habit of popping up at Science Week events for kids. The hallmark of many an entertaining science demo involves vinegar, bread soda, washing up liquid and a fizzing messy fountain of foam aka exothermic reaction. Smallies love science workshop classics like flaming hands of gas and smoke cannons. Science at the Marina Market promises to be a fun filled family day on Saturday with interactive experiments and demonstrations.
If you can’t make it to an event how about marking Science Week with a rummage through YouTube for simple and entertaining experiments with the kids. Homemade rockets with effervescent vitamin C tablets or towers made with marshmallows and spaghetti will have kids squealing. Bonus: you can eat the remaining marshmallows when the kids are in bed!
5. Choose our future
This year’s Science Week theme is exploring what it means to be human in today’s world, and how the decisions we make today, will impact humans of the future.
Incredible developments have shaped our understanding of ourselves and our world.
How will the actions we take now shape our collective human experience for both current and future generations?
Sometimes it can feel like we are passive witnesses to the world unfolding around us but when it comes to the direction of travel of scientific research or climate action, we do have plenty of power within ourselves, in our workplaces and in our communities to bring about change and influence once we speak up and get involved. The future is not yet written. Collectively we must work to create and choose a future that we want.
More information about Science Week events www.scienceweek.ie
Tomorrow Tonight - RTÉ One - Wednesday 15th Nov 9.35pm
10 Things to Know About…Ageing Well - RTÉ One - Monday 20th Nov 8.30pm
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Choose our future: 5 things to know about Science Week
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14.11.2023
Science Week is one of the busiest periods of the year for me. Months of work making TV shows culminates and there are so many fascinating events to attend. Here are five things you might spot during Science Week 2023.
1. 10 Things to Know About…is back.
Each year filming 10 Things to Know About I am buoyed by the researchers I meet working on some of the most important challenges facing society - from planting resilient trees, to improved ways of tracking and tackling waterborne diseases.
The ninth series of RTÉ’s science show is back on our screens this week with a deep dive into topics ranging from fungi to inflammatory bowel disease.
The first episode about trees is a strong reminder that we have all the knowledge and tools we need to fix the climate and biodiversity crisis.
The simple act of planting a tree sucks carbon out of the atmosphere, cleans our air, improves soil health, boosts biodiversity, helps regulate the water cycle and connects us to nature in a way that will, if your tree keeps growing, last for decades and maybe even after you’ve left the planet.
We need to plant a tremendous number of trees to make a dent in emissions but among the avalanche of bad news today planting a tree is a tangible, positive action that most of us can do. If you have a garden promise to plant a bare root tree this winter and watch it grow in 2024 or volunteer with a........
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