His lecture looks at the science behind “Moon hoax” claims. More than 40 years after Apollo 11 there are many conspiracy theories that Neil Armstrong’s famous “One small step” was an elaborate hoax. Dr Hendry uses real Apollo video footage and a series of simple demonstrations to check these claims.

Here’s part one of his lecture…

Click here to view the embedded video.

View part two and the question and answer session on YouTube – or the full video on the Science Week website

Dr Hendry is a lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow. His main research interests are in cosmology and the exciting new field of gravitational wave astronomy, and he regularly lectures to schools, astronomy societies and science festivals across the world.

Check back on the Science Week website and Discover Science & Engineering’s YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/DSEvideo for more videos from the lecture series in the coming days.

Here are the winning entries by Rory O’Connor (better known as E=MC Rory) from Fermoy in the over-17 category, and by Catherine Finn from Dublin in the 16 and under category:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Organised by Discover Science & Engineering with the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre of University College Cork, the Science Rap competition “challenged students to unleash their inner rapper and express themselves and their thoughts about science and technology through rap music”.

Each winner received an iPad. Well done to everybody who took part – check out the rest of the Science Rap winning entries on YouTube.

It was one of the most successful Science Weeks to date, with 505 events taking place throughout the week, a 12% increase from 449 events in 2009.

Peter Brabazon, Programme Director of Discover Science & Engineering, said: “Science Week 2010 has been a great success and it’s fantastic to see the rise in popularity this year.

“The increased student numbers and record attendance at Science Week also points to the growing popularity of science, technology, engineering and maths among young people.

“I would like to thank everyone who got involved with Science Week this year which wouldn’t be possible without the enthusiasm and support of the volunteers and partners.”

Higher science uptake

Coinciding with Science Week, a Higher Education Authority report on CAO acceptance statistics showed positive figures for science, computing and engineering courses, with computing and engineering acceptance rates remaining stable.

Science acceptances increased in 2009/10 to 10.3% of all acceptances and have remained stable in 2010/11 at 10.2%. This is the highest rate of acceptance in the past decade.

The final official Science Week event took place on Saturday 21 November with the Galway Science and Technology Exhibition at the Bailey Allen Hall of NUI Galway. The event was opened by Maire Geoghan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, and featured 3D Tours of the Universe, science entertainment shows and workshops for students.

Science Snaps

Two national competitions took place during Science Week. In the Science Snaps national photography competition, Bernard Dunne came first in the General Public category for his image “Science Leaps”.

First place in the Senior Cycle Category went to Sinead O’Neill from St Flannan’s College, Ennis, Co Clare, for her image “An Eye for Nano Science”. Katie Riordan, a student of Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Cork, was awarded first place in the Junior Cycle Category for her image “Coloured Transpiration”.

View a gallery of all of the photo entries on Pix.ie.

Science Raps

Hosted by DSE and the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre of University College Cork, the Science Raps competition challenged students to unleash their inner rapper and express themselves and their thoughts about science and technology through rap music.

Students were asked to compose and video a rap on this year’s Science Week theme, “Our Place in Space”. Rory O’Connor from Fermoy, Co Cork, was awarded first place in the over-17 category for his creative rap entitled “E=MC Rory”.

The first prize in the 16 and under category went to Catherine Finn from Clondalkin, Dublin, for her effort “The Universal Rap” which struck a chord with judges for her clever use of rap music to express her thoughts about science.  View the Science Raps entries on YouTube

About Science Week

The aim of Science Week is to promote the relevance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in our everyday lives and to demonstrate the importance of these disciplines to the future development of Irish society and the economy.

Science Week Ireland is organised by Discover Science & Engineering, the Government’s integrated programme for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) awareness and promotion.

Further information on Science Week 2010 is available on the Science Week website.

The public lectures include how a young woman invented an exciting new silicone product called Sugru, a look at threats from space by the astronomer who discovered pulsars, science versus “Moon hoax” conspiracy theories, and a scientific guide to a Saturday night.

‘The Story of Sugru’

Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh
Friday, 12 November, 1pm
Venue: Science Gallery, TCD

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh is an artist, inventor, avid DIYer, hater of waste and believer in creativity. Jane’s ambition was to create something that everyone could use to fix or adapt mass produced products to make them work better.

So she came up with a new silicone material product called Sugru (from the Irish word for “play”) that has been described as the best invention since Sellotape.

In her Science Week lecture, Jane will tell the story of Sugru and how she brought  it from an idea to reality – through a long and winding road of creativity, science, collaboration, experimentation and learning.

Before inventing Sugru, Jane studied product design at the Royal College of Art in London, and sculpture at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin.

‘Did we really Land on the Moon?’

Dr Martin A. Hendry
Wednesday, 10 November, 1pm
Venue: Science Gallery, TCD

More than 40 years after Apollo 11 there are many theories in books, TV documentaries and the internet that Neil Armstrong’s famous “One small step” was an elaborate hoax, filmed in secret back on Earth.

Conspiracy theorists point to a range of “evidence” to support their claim – including waving flags, strange shadows, no stars in the sky and deadly solar radiation.

In this talk, using real Apollo video footage and a series of simple demonstrations, physics and astronomy lecturer Martin Hendry will look at the science behind “Moon hoax” claims, and asks whether we really did land on the Moon.

‘Saturday Night Science’

Dr Graeme Jones
Thursday, 11 November, 1pm
Venue: Science Gallery, TCD

Can reaction dynamics explain that boy meets girl moment? Can studying spectroscopy turn you into a John Travolta on the dance floor? Can chemistry help you get a boyfriend/girlfriend?

Come along to this scientific guide to a Saturday night and find out where you might be going wrong.

Dr Graeme Jones is chemical ecologist who has a passion for public science. In 2002 he led the team that built the model of DNA in Stoke that broke the Guinness World Record. He works with massive molecular models the size of houses, displaying and parading them at festivals and carnivals, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

This lecture is suitable for audiences aged 16 and over.

‘Will the world end in 2012?’

Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Friday 12 November 2010, 7pm
Venue: Burke Theatre, Trinity College Dublin

Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a science legend. While she was studying for a PhD in radio astronomy she discovered pulsars, opening up a new branch of astrophysics.

Dr Bell Burnell’s Science Week talk will examine the threats from space and explain how much truth there is in the suggestions that killer asteroids, lethal solar flares or the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way (for example) could cause the end of the Earth.

How to book

Book tickets for the lecture with Jocelyn Bell through the RIA website

Book through the http://www.sciencegallery.com for the lectures by Dr Martin Hendry, Dr Graeme Jones and Jane Ni Dhulchaointigh.

This year’s theme is “Our Place in Space”, looking at the latest happenings in astronomy and space exploration, and raising awareness of Ireland’s role in the space industry.

Events during the week will include:

• Science and technology festivals in Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Waterford and Cork
• Science talks for the public and school students at the Science Gallery in Dublin, including a controversial lecture which asks “Was the Moon landing a hoax?”
• Icebreaker and B.J. Cole performing music from Brian Eno’s “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks” in the National Concert Hall (9 November)
• A lecture by a forensic anthropologist on the methods used to recreate the face of an Iron Age person discovered in Co Meath

Check the events guide on the Science Week website to find events taking place near you, from workshops to family days.

Competitions

The site also has details of this year’s great competitions, including the “Science Snaps” science photography contest, and the Science Raps Challenge Competition which has a top prize of an iPad.

The “Resources” section of the site also has plenty of useful material for Science Week events organisers, from posters and logos to FAQs and a guide to using Twitter to publicise your event.

During that week the site will be running an online competition for students to answer questions on its sister site yLearn.ie.

There are three categories:

• Upper Primary
• Junior Certificate
• Leaving Certificate

The prize for the winner in each category is €150 worth of yTeach resources.

About yTeach

yTeach.ie is designed to aid teachers in delivering the Irish curriculum for maths and science.

Teachers can combine their favourite lesson materials such as PowerPoint presentations, Excel and Word documents and Web addresses with the resources from the site in a playlist or an assignment for students to access.

Learn more

Get more details on how to enter the competition on yTeach.ie

Visit the Science Week website

This online diary will be searchable by location, topic or date. Remember, you must register an event if you wish to order free Science Week merchandise.

The website will still be open to take event submission details right up to Science Week itself, but note that the deadline for merchandise orders is close of business on 20 October.

Remember, even if you are doing something as simple as a class quiz, you can still submit it as an “invite-only” event and order your Science Week goodies.

‘Our Place in Space’

This year’s Science Week theme is “Our Place in Space”, and among the topics are:

• The latest happenings in astronomy and space exploration
• Ireland’s role in the space industry
• How our ancestors studied the planets
• How science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) help us to make sense of our universe

Competitions

The “Science Snaps” photography competition is running again this year and is open to all ages, with a newly added public category. Find out how to get involved.

Read about the “Science Raps” music competition – compose a short music video and you could be in with a chance to win an Apple iPad.

Learn more

Add your event to the Science Week events calendar

Read the Science Week FAQs and download free resources including activity sheets of things you can do with your class during the week

Aoife O’Donoghue of the Tyndall National Institute with some of the winners of the 2009 Science Snaps competition

“Science Snaps” is calling on you to share your vision of “The Wonder of Small Science” with the world.

The national science photography competition, which is run by the Tyndall National Institute, is open to Junior and Senior Cycle students as well the general public.

There are great prizes in all three categories, and the shortlisted images will form a public exhibition during Science Week 2010.

The winning photographs will also be displayed by Bus Éireann on commuter routes throughout Ireland.

How to enter

Take your inspiration from nanotechnology, scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, nature, environment, or even the everyday world around you, anything that triggers your imagination and relates to this year’s theme of the competition, “The Wonder of Small Science”.

The closing date for receipt of entries is Friday, 25 October 2010. Winners will be announced during Science Week, which runs from 7-14 November.

You can submit your entries online at Pix.ie/group/sciencesnaps

Prints will also be accepted by post. Send them to Joanne O’Sullivan, Edelman, 5th Floor Huguenot House, 35–38 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2. Print entries must be accompanied by an application form which can be obtained by emailing sciencesnaps[at]edelman[dot]com

Tyndall National Institute

Science Snaps is run by the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork. The state-of the-art research centre  specialises in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hardware. It has over 350 researchers, engineers, scientists, students and support staff focused on ICT research.

The Science Snaps competition is supported by Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) and is sponsored by Inspire, the Integrated NanoScience Platform for Ireland funded by the Higher Education Authority Program for Research in Third Level Institutions (2007-2011).

Science Snaps prizes and exhibitions are sponsored by DSE, Dell, Bus Éireann and CPL.

Learn more

View the winning entries in last year’s Science Snaps competition

Click here to view the embedded video.

For example, Damini Kumar explored design, creativity and innovation. Damini is the European Ambassador for Creativity and Innovation and the Director of Product Design in NUI Maynooth.

She invented the world’s first non-drip teapot in 1998 and has a number of other prestigious achievements to her name, including 2001 Young British Female Inventor of the Year. Damini was listed as one of the “Top 100 Women in the World” by Cosmopolitan magazine

Among other highlights from Science Week 2009 are:

• Donagh O’Mahony from the Tyndall National Institute in Cork on the logistics of space exploration. He also discusses how Ireland is involved in the technology development side of exploring our universe
• Science students from UCD discussing climate change and renewable energy in Ireland today and into the future
• Dr Cian Ó Mathúna from Tyndall National Institute on the world of sensors and their important role in everyday life

If you missed the Science Week 2008 lectures, the videos are available on the Science Week website (see link below). They range from how to do special effects in movies to “How two teenagers built and sold a company for millions”.

Learn more

Check out the Science Week 2009 lectures on DSE’s YouTube channel

View the Science Week 2008 videos

The 16GB Apple iPod nanos were won by

• Aoife McLoughlin, Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles, Co Tipperary
• Nour Sleiman, St Raphaela’s Secondary School, Upper Kilmacud Road, Stillorgan, Co Dublin

SciFest is an annual one-day science fair held in third-level colleges during April or May, and is open to all second-level students.

Each fair includes a competition and exhibition of projects, science talks, science demonstrations in the college laboratories and a prize-giving ceremony.

This year’s Science Week ran from 8-15 November.

Learn more

Visit the SciFest website