Teagasc will host a series of events for the upcoming Science Week (November 11-18), as part of ‘The Festival of Farming and Food – SFI Science Week at Teagasc’.

The student-focused events will see Teagasc’s various research centres around the country welcome school and college visits, and it hopes that these students will get the chance to perform hands-on experiments and learn about science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.

Teagasc will also host two events in Dublin and one in Kilkenny for the general public.

It claims that those in attendance will “learn about a wide variety of topics and how they apply to their everyday lives”, according to Catriona Boyle, science communication and outreach officer with Teagasc.

The student-based events will visit several areas of the country, including: Johnstown Castle in Wexford; Grange, Co. Meath; Fermoy, Co. Cork; Teagasc Oak Park Crops Research Centre, Co. Carlow; Athenry, Co. Galway; and Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork City.

There will also be an online competition for scientists, who will be judged on their student outreach skills by actual students, in which Teagasc researchers will be competing.

In terms of the general public, the three events will take place Tuesday and Thursday of Science Week, with RTE presenter Rick O’ Shea overseeing proceedings at the ’60 Minute Science’ event, which will be hosted at the Kilkenny River Court Hotel on Thursday, 15 November.

On the same day, in Dublin, ‘A Slice of Science’ will take place at the Teagasc Ashtown Research Centre, while two days earlier, at the National Botanic Gardens, a plant breeding event will be co-hosted by Teagasc and the Office of Public works.