STEM Village at Air Waves Portrush ready for take-off with MATRIX Sponsorship
Tue, August 20, 2019
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has announced MATRIX, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel, as the official sponsor of its STEM Village at Air Waves Portrush, which will be headlined by Live Science presenter James Soper.
Air Waves Portrush will showcase an array of world-class aircraft for two days of thrilling flying and a host of land-based family entertainment on Saturday 31st August and Sunday 1st September 2019.
The STEM Village at Air Waves Portrush, located in the East Strand car park (Village South), will bring together over 20 word-class local STEM employers and education providers to showcase career opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
It aims to promote and inspire young people to consider an exciting and rewarding STEM orientated career with interactive, fun and engaging displays and tasks.
Guest speaker James Soper will wow visitors on both days of the air show with performances of his exciting ‘Airmazing – the Science of Flight’ show that will unravel the science behind flight.
The Deputy Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Alderman Sharon McKillop said: “The STEM village is once again an amazing addition to the line-up at Air Waves Portrush with its extensive range of exciting exhibitors. It has become a real highlight of the ground attractions and it is fantastic to have MATRIX as the official sponsor, we are delighted to have them on board.”
John Reid, MATRIX said: “We are delighted to sponsor this year’s STEM Village at Air Waves Portrush, one of the most popular ground attractions at the largest airshow on the island of Ireland.
“MATRIX understands the value and importance of championing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as essential ingredients to ensuring economic growth in Northern Ireland.
“The STEM Village brings together some of the world’s best STEM employers and educators, and provides a fun and interactive platform to showcase a range of innovative STEM skills to children and young people that will aim to spark an interest in pursuing a STEM career, which would open the door to a wide variety of exciting and innovative career paths.”
Joining MATRIX in the line-up of exhibitors will be Bombardier who will host an array of innovative 3D models and components to encourage kids to consider engineering as an exciting career path.
Kernan Aviation will have a multi-screen flight simulator available for visitors to try, as well as flight instructors on hand to promote career opportunities as a pilot.
AECOM will have buildable suspension bridge for children and young people to construct. Almac will have a number of interactive experiments to try including making slime and strawberry DNA extraction.
W5 will be running a paper plane challenge that will provide children and young people with the chance to design, build and launch their very own plane.
The line-up of exhibitors will also include Thales, Creative Composites, Ulster University, British Armed Forces, Queen’s University Belfast, Denroy Plastics, Moyola Precision Engineering, Northern Regional College, Sentinus, Envision Intelligent Solutions, Code Club, SAM Aerospace (NI) and North West Regional College.
The STEM Village will be running exclusive Quiet Time sessions each day from 10am – 11am, ahead of the crowds, offering a quieter environment to view the full range of exhibits, suitable for people with additional needs.
The Quiet Time sessions are free and fully wheelchair accessible, however pre-registration is essential by emailing: Louise.Mullan@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk.
Air Waves Portrush is organised by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council with support from Tourism NI and a range of other local sponsors.
For more information on Air Waves Portrush visit www.airwavesportrush.co.uk or search for Air Waves Portrush on Facebook and Twitter.