Address by Micheál Martin, T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the Launch of Science Week 2005

Friday 11 November 2005

Good Morning

Lord Mayor, Chairman, invited guests and students, I am delighted to be here this morning to officially launch Science Week 2005.

I would particularly like to thank the Chairman of the Discover Science & Engineering Programme, Leo Enright and programme director, Peter Brabazon for steering Science Week and for inviting me here today.

As you can imagine, I am very pleased to be launching Science Week in Cork here at the Lifetime Lab which I feel you will agree, is a fantastic venue for people of all ages to begin a journey of discovery into the world of science, engineering and technology.

2005 has seen a huge number of science events, exhibitions and seminars. From early January, there has been an unprecedented level of science activities taking place – from the annual BT Young Scientist Exhibition, the Save the Robots Campaign and the BA Festival of Science. During 2005, we have also been celebrating Einstein and Hamilton and so it is fitting that Science Week takes place now to top off what has truly been a science showcase year.

In another first, I am also pleased to welcome this year’s Rose of Tralee, Aoibhínn Ní Shúilleabháin, who has agreed to become an Ambassador for the Discover Science & Engineering Programme for the year and is keen to promote the physical sciences to people of all ages.

In many ways, Aoibhínn is a wonderful champion of what the Discover Science & Engineering Programme is all about. Who would have thought that one-day a theoretical physics graduate who truly loves science would also become Rose of Tralee? Who would have thought that a disused waterworks would become the Lifetime Lab and the latest Discover Centre providing a fascinating insight into energy and environmental issues past, present and future?

Discover Centres support the work of the Discover Primary Science programme which is a key initiative of DSE and in 2005 is supporting 1,300 national primary school teachers in their teaching of science in the classroom. The Government is fully committed to the Discover Science & Engineering Programme and this is evidenced by our recent commitment of an additional €500,000 to the Discover Primary Science Programme in 2005.

Fundamentally, the Discover Science & Engineering Programme is all about exploring and exploding the mysteries of science, making science accessible to all and ultimately changing and creating positive perceptions about science.

Science Week is a key highlight in the annual Discover Science & Engineering calander and this year there are around 350 events taking place throughout the country – check out the www.science.ie website for full details. Now in its ninth year, Science Week embodies the true purpose of the Discover Science & Engineering Programme – by getting people of all ages involved in discovering the wonders of science.

Science Week and the hundreds of events that take place are created and organised by an army of stakeholders who have a common goal – to showcase science in all its guises and encourage people to take an interest. It is these stakeholders that I would particularly like to thank for helping to sustain and develop Science Week each year.

These are the parents, teachers, schools, colleges, universities, industry, commercial organisations, local authorities and Forfás, which hosts the DSE programme, and we are very pleased to have Martin Cronin, CEO of Forfás here today. I thank all of you for driving the science agenda and helping to position and maintain Ireland as a knowledge based society and economy.

As you may know, the theme of Science Week this year is entertainment and the science behind the scenes of everything from music and movies to sport and games. So much of what we now enjoy everyday has evolved from new technologies that make things work better, faster, clearer with more colour, sound and realism.

It is important in a time of such rapid change we still have the curiosity to ask ‘how does that work?’ Or ‘how did they do that?’ Which is what Science Week is all about.

Finally, I would encourage people all over the country to actively participate in Science Week 2005 and make it your own. Visit a local event – they vary from big bubbles to bugs to appearances by that esteemed scientist Wallace and the even more knowledgeable Gromit – and full details are available on the www.science.ie website. Tell your friends about it. Bring the family and start a journey of science discovery and fun today!

Thank you.

Ends

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