Tallaght students explore the fun of science

ALMOST 100 students and their parents from St Aidan’s
National School in Tallaght were treated to a fun evening of interactive
science experiments last week.

It was all part of the third annual Abbott Family
Science Evening during which volunteers from the global health care company
visited the school to help pupils and their parents explore the fun of science.

The Family Science evening, while being great fun, has
a serious mission – to let parents and children work together and discover the
ways in which science and engineering play a role in our daily lives.

Ultimately, the Abbott volunteers hope that by hosting
these events more young people will be inspired to pursue a career in science.

The Abbott Family Science programme is a unique
initiative which is conducted with the support of Abbott’s philanthropic
foundation, the Abbott Fund.

Since 2009, more than 2,000 students and parents have
taken part in Abbott Science Education Programme events throughout Ireland. The
success of the programme is highlighted in post-programme survey which found
that 99 per cent of parents would recommend the Family Science Programme to
another family.

And 82 per cent of them agreed that they were now
likely to discuss careers in science and engineering with their children,
compared to just 37 per cent of respondents prior to the programme.

Craig Skelton, General Manager of Abbott Dublin said
that by fostering an interest in science and invention at the earliest possible
age, the company hopes to engage Irish schoolchildren with science and help
them to understand how it’s infused in their daily lives.

“Through practical experiments the Family Science
programme makes science fun for children and teaches them to think about the
science behind everyday tasks and objects,

? said Mr Skelton.

“Ireland has a proud history in science and
engineering. Indeed Irish scientists are responsible for pioneering work, which
continues to influence our lives today.

“Carlow born John Tyndall (1839-1893), for example,
invented the light pipe which later led to the development of fibre optics
while Tipperary born JD Bernal (1901-1971) developed the technique of modern
x-ray crystallography.

“Family Science encourages our next generation of
budding scientists. One day we may have
an Irish scientist winning the Nobel Laureate for Science and pointing to an
evening in Tallaght when their interest in science was sparked at an Abbott
Family Science event.

“Science and innovation is at the core of Abbott’s
business in Ireland. We want to promote a better understanding of science, and
the dynamic and challenging careers a science qualification can yield.

?

Approximately half of Abbott’s employees are third
level graduates, many with science backgrounds, and more than 120 people with
PhDs are employed by Abbott in Ireland.

The company has great opportunities for science graduates,
not only in Ireland, but also abroad Mr Skelton added.

“We are delighted to share our knowledge and
experience with teachers, parents and pupils of St. Aidan’s National School,

?
he continued.

“The evening has been a great success and we all enjoy
our annual family science event very much.

?

Ireland was the first location outside of the USA to
conduct the Abbott science programmes. Due to its success here, the programmes
have now been implemented by Abbott in China, Germany, Puerto Rico, Singapore,
South Korea and the UK.

In the coming year, the Abbott Science Education
Programmes will be extended to all 13 sites where Abbott has manufacturing and
commercial operations around Ireland.

In addition to Abbott Family Science, Abbott’s
Operation Discovery programme offers secondary school students an opportunity
to work hands-on with scientists in Abbott’s onsite labs to witness the
fascinating world of science and discovery.

Students undertake experiments and use tools and
procedures routinely employed by Abbott scientists in laboratories around
Ireland.