SPARK 4 - 8 Nov 2013
SPARK (Science People at The Ark) is a series of interactive talks that will introduce primary school children to that moment of inspiration which led scientists to follow their interests into a life in science.
Promoting engagement based on finding wonder in everyday things, the facilitating scientists will use storytelling, interesting visuals and interactive materials help animate their specialist subjects for the participating children.
Mon 4 Nov @ 10:15
How small is really, really, small?
With Dr. Brian Rodriguez
Learn how to see things smaller than a strand of hair, exploring the world of the micro, nano, and atomic scale! Dr. Brian Rodriguez, who is a physicist at University College Dublin will use size comparisons to help make sense of it all, and microscopes to explore the hidden world of the very small.
How big is really, really, BIG?
With Prof. Lorraine Hanlon & Emer O'Boyle
How do you measure the size of something that’s bigger than the biggest ruler you can imagine? Astronomer Prof. Lorraine Hanlon and artist Emer O’Boyle will use balloons, a toy spaceship and cool animation to compare the sizes of the earth and the moon, see how far away space really is, and discover how the distance to the sun can be measured without using a ruler!
Wed 6 Nov @ 10.15am
Who lived here?
With Niamh Kelly, Phd Scholar
Every great archaeologist needs to be a top class detective and an imaginative storyteller. Join Niamh Kelley, a Phd Scholar with the UCD School of Archaeology to explore the ancient remains from an archaeological excavation. Learn how to recognise different cultures, use artefacts to investigate the people who owned them, and solve the mystery of; who lived here?
What did dinosaurs eat?
With Amanda Porter, Phd Scholar
Did you know that the plants that dinosaurs would have eaten were very different to the plants alive on our planet today? Amanda Porter, who is a Phd Scholar at UCD working on fossil plants that date back 300 million years, will present to the children how this ancient vegetation affected both the diet and environment of the dinosaurs.
Fri 8 Nov @ 10.15am
Can Maths make Dinner?
With Dr Nora Khaldi
Dr Nora Khaldi uses mathematics and computers to help understand the molecules in food. Nora will share with the children how her research has helped to make foods that help people to be healthier by communicating healthy signals to our bodies.
Plants get sick too
With Dr. Angela Feechan
Plants can become infected with disease caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi – just like we can! Fungi and other disease in crop plants causes many problems, as it reduces the food supply available to people and animals. Biologist Dr Angela Feechan will help the children to understand how finding and tracking fungal genes can predict future disease outbreaks, helping us to stay one step ahead of diseases that can destroy crops in the farmer’s field.