Louth parents to reveal learnings from inaugural Town Scientist project

A young mother’s group from Muirhevnamor, Dundalk; a parent group from Rathmullan, Drogheda; and a group of mothers from Greece, Serbia and beyond who are based in Louth will be demonstrating their learnings from the inaugural Town Scientist pilot project over the next two Sundays as part of Louth Science Festival and the wider, nationwide Science Week event.

Town Scientist is a pilot programme developed and delivered by Dundalk native Dr Niamh Shaw, scientist, engineer, communicator and performer. Funded by Research Ireland, Town Scientist is a pilot project operating in Louth and Offaly in partnership with Louth County Library, Louth ABC programme and Birr Castle Demesne, aiming to work with people from local communities to make science more accessible and to break down barriers that often keep people from engaging with scientific topics.

The first phase of Town Scientist kicked off in February this year and has involved a series of informal science learning sessions for the participants. 

The learning sessions covered complex issues such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), climate change, Antarctica, Mars, auroras, eclipses, comets and more, with a view to enabling participants to continue their own learning journeys and play a greater role in fostering a love of STEM in their families and in the wider community. 

Town Scientist will be showcased by members of the learning groups as part of Louth Science Festival over the next two weekends. The groups will:

• Share their learnings and talk about their experience with members of the public;
• Demonstrate experiments on the hour every hour;
• Distribute free Advent calendars of science trivia which they created themselves, as well as guides for home science experiments for all the family to get involved in. 

The events will take place:

• Sunday, 10th November, 11am to 4pm at Dundalk County Library; and
• Sunday, 17th November, 11am to 4pm at Drogheda Civic Offices. 

Dr Shaw is calling on locals in Dundalk and Drogheda to come along to the events over the next two weeks and to find out more about Town Scientist: “The world is changing at a rapid pace, and our planet is currently facing many challenges. Topics like AI, climate change and what this means for our future is rarely out of the news.

“For many people in Louth, these topics can seem overly complex and out-of-reach, and Town Scientist is aiming to bridge the gap between these technological changes and their implications for society to enable locals to engage with these topics and influence the future direction of their communities and Ireland as a whole.

“This is the first pilot study of Town Scientist, and it has been a huge success so far. Parents who have participated in the workshops have reported a hugely positive experience. Dundalk Credit Union and Louth County Council have shown their support for a longer-term six month pilot to continue in Dundalk in 2025, if funding is secured.

“I have so many plans to work with even more groups in the town and county. I would encourage parents and families throughout Louth to come along to Louth Science Festival over the next two Sundays to chat with me and to meet some of the parents involved.”

Also speaking about Town Scientist was parent participant Michelle Quinn, a mother of three from Muirhevnamor in Dundalk and who was part of the young mothers group. “Before we started Town Scientist with Niamh I had zero interest in science”, said Michelle.

“I never enjoyed it in school, thought it simply wasn’t for me. Town Scientist has been transformative for me, it has opened up my world to science and I have loved my experience. It has sparked a curiosity I never knew I had. While my children are laughing at my enthusiasm for it, it has helped me become more involved in their learning and education. I would encourage other parents to come along to Louth Science Festival events over the coming weeks to find out more.”

Speaking further, Dr Shaw said: “My vision is that this model will be replicated in towns throughout Ireland. This project is my long-term investment in Ireland’s future, so that our citizens will be prepared for this tech-heavy future society but more importantly will be empowered to discuss and debate how we will build sustainable towns and cities of our future.”

Mary McHugh from Louth Library Service said: “The Town Scientist pilot has been hugely successful in Louth, and has given Louth parents the knowledge and confidence to engage with STEM topics and issues that directly affect them and their children’s futures. It has huge potential to be replicated throughout Ireland and we look forward to seeing the long term positive impact it will have on Louth parents and children.”

Further information on Dr Shaw visit: https://niamhshaw.ie/.