UL asks the big questions at Science Week

Dr Sarah Hayes performs at the "SSPC Science Show" as part of The Limerick Festival of Science and Science Week Ireland in University of Limerick. Photo: Brian Arthur

WHAT is happening to our bees? What impact do smartphones have on the environment? How does suntan oil work? What does it mean to be human? These questions and more will all be asked over the course of the Limerick Festival of Science (LFoS).

The LFoS is being held at the University of Limerick as part of Science Week 2023, between November 8 and 17, and will see a number of lifeโ€™s questions โ€“ both big and small โ€“ explored.

The theme of this yearโ€™s festival is โ€˜Human?โ€™, and calls on everyone to consider what it means to be human in todayโ€™s world and how the decisions we make today impact the world of the future.

The festival has a full programme of events running in association with Mary Immaculate College, Technological University of the Shannon, and Science Foundation Ireland.

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Budding geneticists will be able to explore a world of sensory and optical illusions built around the bodyโ€™s building blocks (DNA) and discover how viruses hack into the human system and replicate.

Those interested in the secret life of pets and animals can delight in an interactive โ€˜Animal Magicโ€™ show, or learn about habitat protection from UL PhD students and staff who will also be demonstrating live and interactive chemistry and biological experiments.

On November 12, Professor John Breen will host a โ€˜Life of Beesโ€™ demonstration on the importance of bees as pollinators and give a tour of the ULโ€™s apiary.

There will also be an opportunity to get up close and personal with snakes, owls, all types of bugs, flora, and fauna, and much more.

Parents, teachers, primary and secondary students, and all curious minds are invited to attend the range of workshops, shows, and lectures throughout the Limerick Festival of Science.

โ€œWe aim to share our enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) with young and old from all backgrounds in the region during the Limerick Festival of Science,โ€ said a spokeswoman for UL.

โ€œThe festivalโ€™s purpose is to spark curiosity, inspire imaginations, and unleash the potential that can help create our future.โ€

Find out more about the schedule of events at this yearโ€™s Limerick Festival of Science on UL.ie/scieng.