Science Hub - Public Engagement

STEM is becoming increasingly important to everyday life and it’s becoming necessary for the general public to feel actively engaged with Science education and research. Our public engagement strand help the wider Limerick community to connect with Science in a positive way.

We run Science Magic Shows at community events and Festivals several times annually. While these shows are predominantly aimed at younger children, they attract people of all ages who thoroughly enjoy the experience. The shows help the audience to see the fun side of STEM while actively learning several scientific concepts.We host regular open evenings at the Science Hub where parents and other adults are invited to come visit us to learn some STEM from the children who attend our afterschool workshops. Feedback from these events has been extremely positive.

Periodically throughout the year, we run Sci-Fi Movie Nights in the city centre. Aimed at adults, we screen a classic Sci-Fi movie and host a brief discussion exploring the “Science behind the Sci-Fi” after the show. We have found this to be an excellent way to get people, not necessarily from a STEM background, actively engaged in STEM discussion and debate.The Science Hub is also a key contributor to the schedule of events for Limerick Festival of Science - a city wide celebration of National Science Week which engaged an extremely large audience in its inaugural year in 2016.