Met Éireann was delighted to participate in ESB Science Blast again this year. The event ran from the 4th to the 7th of March 2024 at RDS, Simmonscourt. ESB Science Blast is a free, non-competitive educational programme for primary schools, which involves the whole class investigating the science behind a simple question, a question that they often ask themselves first! It aims to equip the next generation with life-long scientific and problem-solving skills and Met Éireann is proud to support such an initiative.
Large crowd around the Met Éireann exhibit at ESB Science Blast
Met Éireann had an interactive exhibit at the event, where our volunteering staff got to discuss weather and climate with a young audience, with the hopes of nurturing a love of science from an early age. The children enjoyed our “weather and climate quiz” at which they could demonstrate their knowledge and win a prize.
Met Éireann’s weather and climate quiz
They had the opportunity to create landscapes and learn about the water cycle with the help of our augmented reality sandbox.
Augmented reality sandbox showing topography and hydrology ( bright colours)
We also had an array of weather instruments, from rain gauges to anemometers and thermometers, to help children understand more about how the weather is observed and recorded.
Display of weather observing instrumentation
This year we were also seeking proposals from the kids for the 2024-2025 Storm Names season, as Met Éireann and partner Met services will produce a new list for the storm season that commences next September, and the children have shown a fantastic engagement with this initiative.
Large box with potential storm names for 2024-2025
Thank you to all Met Éireann staff who attended the ESB Science Blast across the four days.
Mark Bowe, Annmarie Woods, Sinead Clinton -Met Éireann staff members at ESB Science Blast
Deirdre Lowe, Annmarie Woods, Gerry Murphy, Tatjana Kokina, Tido Semmler and Ines Alonso – Met Éireann staff at ESB Science Blast
Patrick Fournet, Annmarie Woods, Mary Curley, Rebecca Cantwell, Markus Todt – Met Éireann staff at ESB Science Blast
Annmarie Woods, Enda O’Dea, Tatjana Kokina, Aoife Murray, Rebecca Cantwell – Met Éireann staff at ESB Science Blast