February Engineering Our Future: NUI Galway host free Family Fun Day for Engineers Week 2020

NUI Galway is calling all wanna-be-engineers to participate in a free full day family event ‘Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day’, which will take place on Saturday, 29^th February 2020 from 10am–4pm in the Alice Perry Engineering Building at NUI Galway. 

The Family Fun Day is part of the Engineers Week 2020, which celebrates engineering across Ireland. The Family Fun Day will provide plenty of science and engineering shows, movie screenings, workshops and hands-on activities that will inspire young (and older) people.

Families can watch ‘Dream Big: Engineering Our World’ and ‘John Phillip Holland: Submarine Inventor’ on the day. ‘Dream Big: Engineering Our World’, which is narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, celebrates the human creativity behind engineering marvels big and small from the Great Wall of China and the world’s tallest buildings to underwater robots, solar cars and smart, sustainable cities, and show how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways. ‘John Phillip Holland: Submarine Inventor’ delves into the life of a revolutionary Irish engineer, who was behind the first fully functioning modern submarine.

Young and older attendees can engage with the ‘It's all Done with Mirrors' show by Dr Ken Farquhar, which blends magic tricks, illusions and stunts with extraordinary science and engineering. Trapped doors, mirrors or camera effects? Everyone can have their own theory. Whatever you discover and more may be revealed! Quirky stunts and illusions performed.  Science discovered. Engineering explored.

In parallel, ‘Using physics to engineer a better future’ by Anyone4Science explores the physics behind forces, electricity, flight and energy through a range of experiments. Children can even examine the physics behind ice-cream by making their own ice-cream with the team!

Families are encouraged to come and build their own wind turbine, investigate the ‘magic’ of cleaning water, explore the vast range of chemicals used in our daily lives (which typically end up going down our drain and into our environment!), have a closer look at the animal kingdom of ‘Leg to legless’, interact with CoderDojo Ninjas to learn about programming, test if they are stronger than a superhero, explore the GEEC: Galway Energy Efficient Car, relax at the free LEGO play area or learn about our rich engineering heritage. These and many other activities showing the world of civil, environmental, mechanical, biomedical and electronic engineering, and information technology will be available on the day. For the first time this year, there will be a sensory room available for our youngest engineers and all those who would like some timeout in peace and quiet.

According to Professor Peter Mc Hugh, Head of School of Engineering at NUI Galway: “Engineering is in every aspect of our lives; it allows us to live, communicate, travel, work, play, stay safe and healthy. By taking maths and science from the lab engineers dream of, invent, design and build things that change the reality and future of all human beings.”

Speaking about the Family Fun Day, Dr Jamie Goggins from the School of Engineering at NUI Galway and the MaREI Centre said: “Children are natural engineers. They love to design and build things, using whatever they can get their hands on. With knowledge, innovation and creativity engineers change the reality and future of all human beings. Join us for the Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day and explore Engineering through exciting and fun hands-on activities and shows, as well as meeting with practicing engineers to better learn about the world around us, understand the role of Engineering in our lives and its impact on our future.”

All details about the Family Fun Day are available at www.nuigalway.ie/engineersweek and bookings of free tickets can also be made through the website. Tickets can be booked in advance for some shows, but it will also be possible to attend shows without pre-booking on a first-come-first-served basis on the day.

For further information on ‘Engineering Our Future: Family Fun Day’ contact Jamie Goggins jamie.goggins@nuigalway.ie, Magdalena Hajdukiewicz magdalena.hajdukiewicz@nuigalway.ie or William Finnegan william.finnegan@nuigalway.ie

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