A roadshow will travel the country from Monday with the aim of improving public understanding of science, writes Dick Ahlstrom
A unique public forum for scientific discussion gets underway next on Monday when RTÉ's Big Science Debate Road Show gets underway.
Taking place at six venues around the State, the show encourages people to have their say on some of the most contentious scientific issues of our time, from euthanasia to genetically-engineered humans.
The idea was put together by RTÉ producer Ella McSweeney and Irish Council for Bioethics scientific director Dr Siobhán O'Sullivan. Science Foundation Ireland then agreed to step in and fund this important event, which aims to improve and promote public understanding of science.
Roadshow events will take place in the coming weeks in Dublin, Castlebar, Athlone, Letterkenny, Waterford and Ennis. Public audiences will be invited to come to these free gatherings to discuss subjects such as organ donation, the environment, and stem cell research, explains McSweeney. There will be invited speakers at each of the venues, not just scientists but also lawyers, doctors, artists, writers and others, who will help to debate the broader issues that arise from scientific advances.
"The goal from our point of view is to get people to attend these recording sessions around Ireland and engage with others on these issues," McSweeney says. "The priority is you will hear genuine public voices giving their opinions."
All six of the recorded sessions will then be edited and broadcast - one per week - on RTÉ Radio 1 at 6pm from Sunday, October 7th.
A key element of the roadshow is accessibility, explains O'Sullivan. It was important that the events reach various parts of the country, she says.
"It is an interactive dialogue between people who are ultimately paying for this science," she adds. "This is not about us telling people - we are informing people and providing a forum for them to get information and provide feedback. This is a really valuable experience for us."
The first event is on Monday in RTÉ's radio centre in Donnybrook. The subject under discussion will be Human Enhancement: Making People Better or Making Better People. The roadshow then moves to Castlebar next Thursday, where the topic is In Your Blood: Forensic DNA Databases. Next up is Athlone on Friday, October 5th, for a discussion on Organ Donation: the Gift of Life. The roadshow visits Waterford on Monday, October 22nd, for a discussion on Euthanasia: Your Body, Your Death, Your Choice? then moves to Letterkenny for Environmental Ethics: Whose Planet Is it Anyway? on Wednesday, October 24th. The final roadshow is in Ennis on Monday, November 5th, where the topic will be Stem Cell Research: Hope or Hype?
RTÉ presenter Rachael English will host all but the first roadshow event - the Dublin opener will be hosted by Pat Kenny.
Those who can't attend but who would like to contribute questions for discussion and also to log their own views can make use of a special website set up by RTÉ to support the roadshow, www.rte.ie/ science, where more information on venues and access is available.