Meetings take place monthly in the relaxed surrounds of the Castle Bar and Trattoria before the headline speaker at Blackrock Castle Observatory’s First Fridays at the Castle.

The evening will include a discussion on the challenges of space exploration & Ireland’s role in technology development for space. Guest speakers on the night are Con McCarthy, recently retired to Cork from his posts at ESA, the European Space Agency and Dr. Donagh O’Mahony of Tyndall National Institute, Cork.

Con McCarthy will speak about his roles on a variety of Space Missions while working at ESA. Con worked at Spacelab and on ERS 1(Earth Resources Satellite), he was Systems Engineer on Huygens, (Europe’s Lander to Titan on board the U.S. Cassini Saturn orbiter), ESA's Mars Lander and communications system manager for Europe's Mars mission, Mars Express and systems engineer on the Venus Express on its mission to Venus.

Donagh O’Mahony from the Tyndall Institute will then give an overview of the challenges presented by Space exploration and a summary of Ireland’s role in technology development for Space. The Tyndall National Institute in Cork has collaborated in technology development and device testing activities with the European Space Agency (ESA) since 1982 and was designated an ESA microelectronics test support laboratory (MTSL) in 1988. Donagh will give an overview of the type of work conducted at the Tyndall Institute and highlight career opportunities open to students.

Commenting on this new programme, Clair McSweeney, Facilities Manager at CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory said “Cork Science Café aims to demystify science and increase awareness and understanding of technology, innovation, research and the sciences generally. Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork’s Space for Science and a landmark public venue, is well placed to facilitate Cork Science Café, sharing as we do a vision of a city where enquiry enriches our lives and drives our industry.”

Cork Science Café is affiliated to the international network of Café Scientifique first organised in the UK in 1998 based on the French Café Philosophique. While French scientists thought they ought to inform the public more on topics within the science community, in the UK the movement was started by members of the public who wanted to know more about science. In both countries it moved out of an academic structure into popular locations, attracting wider audiences.

Cork Science Café is a collaboration between CIT Cork Institute of Technology’s Blackrock Castle Observatory (BCO) in association with UCC, Tyndall National Institute, CIT, the Cork Electronics Industry Association and Cork City Learning Forum.

Cork Science Café is an informal gathering inviting YOU to explore some of the latest ideas in science & technology. Check http://www.bco.ie for information on topics to come, or email info@bco.ie to suggest one.

Picture: Crawford Observatory, UCC

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