What’s on this month?

scienceculturebulletin — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:41:55 +0000

Welcoming back the Dead Zoo. Geometry, art and crochet. Science apps from the Frog Blog. The Burren is in Bloom. And much more as always, including a packed calendar of events.

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We like…

The Dead Zoo… alive again: great to welcome back the Natural History Museum (tho’ the upper galleries remain closed). Looking cleaner than ever, and with a new programme of talks and tours, including one on the ill-fated golden eagle reintroduction project, May 20.

Irish Historic Towns Atlas Seminar: the RIA’s historic towns atlases are wonderful publications, everything from health, demographics and urban change to manufacturing. The Limerick and Longford atlases will be launched at this free seminar, May 21, RIA Dublin

Catch the city of science bus: Are you interested in science, or science communication? At college? Over 20? Got four weeks free for travelling? In the run-up to Dublin City of Science 2012, the organisers are running a bus to this year’s science city, Turin. All-expenses-paid, closing date May 12.
Creative Geometry: exploring the connections between geometry and art, architecture and nature, in two half-day workshops for children, families and teachers. 16th May, Cultivate, Dublin

From Mathematics to Art: more geometry…Cornell mathematician and crochet maestro Daina Taimnia, who inspired the hyperbolic crochet coral reef, is talking in Dublin June 2.

The story and history of science: great new six-part series from BBC 2 on the history of science, on Tuesdays at 9pm. Tonight’s programme (May 4) on matter, travels from alchemists and their search for gold, to synthetic dyes and the transistor. Recommended.

Communicating Science conference 2010: 4th annual Irish conference in communicating science, technology, engineering and mathematics, Armagh Planetarium May 13. If you’re interested in this topic, and are on LinkedIn, you might like to know about the new group there, Science Communicators Ireland.

Photography competition… weather permitting: last year’s winner of the Irish Met Society competition, went on to win the European competition. Now it’s your turn, closing date September 30.

Industrial heritage on the Suir: Explore the 18th and 19th century milling and industrial heritage of Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir, including the towpath built in the 1750s to link the two prosperous towns. Two-day tour, Industrial Heritage Association, May 22-23. €40

Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art: stunning new exhibition at London’s British Library with 80 of the most important and beautiful maps ever made over the last 2000 years. Explore it online here, runs until September 19, with a programme of talks and events.

Storytelling, for entrepreneurs: She who tells the best story wins. Now comes a 3-hour workshop to explore how storytelling can be used in media, publishing, social media, education, video games… that’s the idea behind Idea Hacking. The first workshop starts at 5.30 pm in Derry, June 3. Adm free.

Science & technology at the edge of Europe: history of science conference on developments at the periphery of Europe, NUI Galway, June 17-20

Smarter travel: a one-day seminar organised by Engineers Ireland, on transport, national policy and cycling. May 5, Dublin. Plus, a public lecture on the sociology of building a cycling culture, May 20, TCD.

A is for Appendages: young Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks from Xylocopa. Laser-etched with mad science concepts. Every home should have some!

MetaMeets: your chance to hear Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon, who is a virtual speaker at the annual European 3D conference for developers and users of virtual environments. DIT Dublin, May 7-8 http://www.metameets2010.com/

Cork science takes off: the wonderful Blackrock Castle Observatory just outside Cork, by the coast, has become quite a busy science/art venue, and much more than an astronomy centre, with a restaurant, music, science cafe, and even movies by moonlight (this month’s screening is Blade Runner, the final cut, May 29). Definitely worth a visit if you are Lee-side.

The gentians are out… and the Burren is in bloom: the good folk at Burrenbeo tell us that the gentians are out now, and a month-long festival of Burren walks and talks is taking place, around Ballyvaughan. Expect: wildflowers, limestone, bumblebees, disappearing lakes, dolphins, moths and music.

Human Machine Improvisations: part performance, part exploration of socio-musical technologies and (we quote) “ironic sci-fi parody”…the debut of two machine musicians, io 0.0.1 beta++ and iWife constructed by Han-earl Park and John Godfrey respectively. BCO Cork May 26

The Frog Blog’s science apps: the excellent frog blog, from the science team at St Columba’s School, is recommending several educational science apps, including the Touch Physics game ( you need to know your levers and forces) and Speed Anatomy. The blog, which has been tweeting for a while, is now ‘frogcasting’ [croaking, surely?] in the run-up to the exam season.

Butterflies wanted: or at least, volunteers to collect and count, for a butterfly monitoring scheme. Training workshop, May 15, Fota, Cork.

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