Delving into the fun of science and technology

By Aideen O’Flaherty

A CREATIVE space for children which combines art, science, technology, engineering and maths was launched last month in the County Library, Tallaght.

Fiosracht Discovery Centre, which is a collaboration between ITT Dublin, Foróige and the County Library, Tallaght, has already held a number of workshops and is now preparing to run summer camps.

There is an emphasis on engineering in the Discovery Centre, which aims to encourage children in South County Dublin to engage with science in an informative and accessible way.

Gerry Ryder, ITT Dublin mechanical engineering lecturer and project leader of Fiosracht Discovery Centre, told The Echo: “The ultimate goal is to set up the centre in Tallaght Library as a place for kids to explore engineering in the context of everyday science, so that it means something to them.”

The centre recently hosted a workshop for children during Engineering Week, which saw the children make and design a hydroponic pot which they then used to grow their own herbs and plants.

“They were really enthusiastic. They loved it, they left beaming,” said Mr Ryder.

The centre will be running a one-day and a five-day camp this summer, with pieces developed by the children going on display in the exhibition space for the discovery centre, housed in the County Library, Tallaght.

“The key things we want to get across are that the skills the children are learning can be used in their future career,” said Mr Ryder, adding that skills the children will learn can be applied to a variety of different career paths, and don’t necessarily apply only to jobs within the science sector.

Recruitment for children to take part in the summer camps, which are aimed at teenagers between the ages of 13 and 15 years old, is through Foróige.

To find out how to get involved, contact Laura Kelly from Foróige at laura.kelly@foroige.ie or Gerry Ryder at gerard.ryder@it-tallaght.ie