Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last Sunday I joined an energetic and happy group of people, mainly families, heading into in Atlantic Technological University Sligo, ATU Sligo, to attend one of the first programmes of Sligo Science Festival 2022. I could hardly believe the crowds and the real interest that so many people had in all of the different events from the exploration dome to the Its Like Magic but Real event, from the Mad Professor to the kitchen chemistry event, from crime scene investigations to sustainable foods, and from the mermaid to the Eagle's Flying group. I spent a little while in one of the lecture theatres where there was a packed audience. I would say it had not been that full in years. It was an enraptured audience learning from the Mad Professor about different forces and their impact. The entertainment facilitated the learning. Nobody, including myself, left ATU Sligo last Sunday without realising that their entire lives are impacted and shaped by science. Far more importantly, we all left knowing that our actions can have a hugely significant impact on issues such as climate change, biodiversity protection, elimination of food waste, protection of our beaches and so on. Sometimes when we speak of innovation we think of women and men in white coats using test tubes with some sort of fizzy liquid coming out of it, or we think of computer whiz kids changing our digital world. Yet, every single one of us as citizen scientists can innovate and can contribute. One of the most interesting projects I saw last Sunday was the Coastal City Living Labs project.

Sligo is one of ten cities taking part in this EU-funded project where citizen scientists, ordinary people who live near Enniscrone, Dunmoran or Streedagh beaches, are taking part in monitoring sensors that measure water quality and height and tide levels, while further information is gathered by researchers using satellite images. All of this information is put together using a sensor fusion technique, which simulates real-time environmental scenarios. Why are we doing this? Because those scenarios will help to measure the resilience of our coastlines and sand dunes and ultimately lead to measures to improve the resilience of our coastlines as they contend with higher sea levels, coastal erosion and extreme weather events. We have ordinary people playing a day-to-day role. Why not? It is their coastline and their town and they want to protect it.

Last Sunday, what happened in Sligo was one of many events taking place around the country. I encourage people to go along, listen and learn like I did. Science does not just shape the world; it shapes all of our lives.

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