Cameron Harvey and Andrew Twigg of McLaren High School, Scotland’s Lego League technology and engineering champions, with Devouring Technology (Betty the Basking Shark) by Jonathan Elders.
The sculpture is on display in Thistles Stirling as part of Stirling Science Festival. Visit Betty and witness the colossal scale of the electronic waste problem in Scotland.

Stirling Science Festival will return this October with a fun packed programme including special guests Dynamic Earth.

Taking place during the second half of the school autumn break (19 – 22 October), this year’s line-up includes a host of free interactive events; from science shows and coding challenges to Lego workshops and even an inter-schools weave off.

GROWING FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Now in its third year the festival, which is organised by Stirling Council, has evolved to include an ever-increasing number of partners, from The University of Stirling and Codebase to Coorie Creative and Forth Valley College.

This year’s festival has also been made possible with funding and support from Event Scotland.

Community Planning and Regeneration Convener, Councillor Gerry McGarvey said: “Stirling Science Festival is set to be bigger and better than ever before with an incredible array of science activities for the whole family during the October holidays.

“Any opportunity to encourage curious young minds to interact with the world around them should be celebrated and the Stirling Science Festival provides this in spades.

“Between an introduction to the world of code-breaking and addressing pressing problems for the world such as climate change, there’s a feast for the minds available over the course of the festival.”

Councillor Gerry McGarvey, Cameron Harvey, Andrew Twigg and Councillor Ewan Dillon in Thistles Stirling – a new venue for this year’s Science Festival.

NEW PARTNERSHIPS

New participating partners for this year are Dynamic Earth and Thistles Shopping Centre.

Blair Watson, Discovering the Deep Project Officer for Dynamic Earth said: “We are delighted to be bringing our stories of the deep sea to Stirling.

“We can’t wait to thrill audiences with our fun and engaging specimens and interactives.”

Events will take place across the city from 19-22 October, from the Tolbooth and Albert Halls to Codebase and local libraries.

With the full programme to be announced by Stirling Council in the coming weeks.

The Tolbooth gallery will show an ambitious film exploring the ethics of scientific discovery and the complex relationship between science, politics and race in an age of avatars, video gaming and DNA Ancestry testing.

’A Lament for Power’ by artists Larry Achiampong and David Blandy will run from 6 – 29 October.

MORE VENUES

Thistles Stirling will also host a series of activities for the first time, including a showcase by Scotland’s Lego League technology and engineering champions McLaren High School.

Shopping Centre Director Gary Turnbull said: “We are thrilled to be taking part in the Stirling Science Festival for the very first time and to be able to use our centre to highlight some of the fantastic work being done by McLaren High School.

“We are delighted to see friendly faces from the centre such as Coorie Creative being involved in such a great event for Forth Valley.”

For further details of Stirling Science Festival 2022 see www.stirlingevents.org