Education Officer Cieara and Media Officer Zara were invited to attend Activate Your Curiosity 2026 alongside Carndonagh Community School in The Braid Theatre in Ballymena. It was a day packed with activities for the students to enjoy including TED Talks from esteemed scholars and interactive sessions such as VR and slime making.
The event ran from 9am to 3pm, jam-packed with organised sessions for each to class to indulge in. First, they participated in a slime-making workshop with ArtCart. This allowed the students to witness the chemical reactions occurring at each stage of mixing. They were then able to take home the finished product.
The next session was a TED Talk from Dr Neil Reid, a Conservation Biologist from Queen’s University, who delivered a wonderful presentation titled, ‘How many animals are there?’ He explored the biodiversity crisis and how scientists are able to monitor the population of different species in the wild.
They also heard from Professor Dimitrios Lamprou, whose TED Talk was titled, ‘Sweet Science: How Cacao and 3D Printing Can Help Us.’ He dissected the benefits of cacao in regard to health solutions and how 3D printers have the ability to create specialised medicinal treatments.
Next, they headed over to Seagate’s room, where the students took turns chatting with the company reps about how they complete manufacturing on a nanoscale, and experiencing the illusion of a virtual reality headset. Through this activity, they were able to shrink down to a tiny scale and explore the inside of one of their own hard drives.
Finally, students heard from Jonathon Martindale and Kelly McClintock of Phoenix Energy, who discussed relevant topics on energy transition and the increasingly important role of natural gas in delivering a lower carbon future. Space expert, David Fearon was the last speaker of the day. He dived into interesting topics surrounding the space industry’s connection to Northern Ireland and the rapid expansion of the sector locally.
Overall, the day was enlightening and extremely entertaining for the students. The visit to Activate Your Curiosity was met with great enthusiasm from students, many of whom described the experience as fun, engaging and eye-opening. From interactive exhibits to real-world learning, the day left a lasting impression and encouraged students to think differently about their interests and future pathways.
