Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1107757
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 APRIL 2019 SCIENCE ENVIRONMENT Nigella damascena... even its scientific name sounds ro- matic. The flower of the love-in-a-mist (M. sieq il-brim- ba) plant is one of those exquisite beauties that make you wonder whether nature consciously embellishes things for no other reason than aesthetics. Five silky pale sky-blue petals (actually sepals but let's not go there) encircled by a lattice of fine bright-green lace-like leaves and topped with an elaborate green headgear adorned with a crown of horns, an explosion of filaments and anthers – I could go on! Naturally there's always a scientific reason for all the deco, even if we don't always know it. The actual love-in-a- mist plant is short and fragile annual, and easy to overlook in a clump of other more robust vegetation. It grows in no particular habitat, so you can find it in field edges, steppe, clearings, even country roadsides. Remember though, one blink and you miss it! Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 561: Book your seat at: www.foemalta.org/EU2019 Text: Victor Falzon Photo: Desiree Falzon 657. LOVE-IN-A-MIST STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education has become a national priority over the past few years since jobs and careers are not only becoming more scientifi- cally-oriented, but also because CEDEFOP (the European Cen- tre for the Development of Vo- cational Education) has reported that there's a shortage of profes- sionals, associate professionals and technicians working in a number of STEM fields primar- ily in ICT, Health and Science in the area of Research and Devel- opment. We need to address the issue of the shortage of STEM work- ers but we also need to realise that we are now living in an in- dustrialised world, surrounded by technology and science. So, apart from ensuring that we have a scientifically literate workforce, we need to appreciate that scien- tific literacy has become a civic matter as it allows us to take an active part in understanding is- sues in our country and around the world. Be it on social media, newspapers, or on television, we are constantly bombarded with stories related to scientific dis- coveries, global warming, ethical issues such as abortion and IVF, cannabis being used for medi- cal purposes, genetically modi- fied foods, waste and pollution, amongst others. STEM engagement and popu- larisation initiatives are there- fore no longer concentrating only on students, but rather the focus has shifted to involving the family as a whole. Research shows that parents and caregiv- ers are the primary source of in- fluence when it comes to career choices, followed closely by edu- cators. This makes it even more important to raise STEM careers awareness among parents and guardians, apart from ensuring that they have a positive science experience as well as the oppor- tunity to engage with science and to participate in scientific discussions and debates. By do- ing so, parents and caregivers can continue to support their children's science experiences not only for the purpose of doing well at school and for the pros- pect of taking up a STEM career, but also to provide them with the necessary tools to be able to make informed decisions about science related issues. Easter holidays are just around the corner and if you haven't planned your family outings yet, don't fret…we have you covered! Esplora's Family Science Days is a science event being organised between the 23rd of April and 26th of April. An array of science shows and hands-on workshops will be available for visitors to experience together as a fam- ily. Learn how to code Sphero, a spherical robot small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, which was designed to inspire curiosity, creativity, and inven- tion by connecting play with coding. Or participate in an egg drop challenge which is a great problem solving workshop. This requires groups to design and build a protective case to pro- tect an egg from breaking when thrown from the top of a bridge! Share your own knowledge and experience together with Esplo- ra staff members as you interact with over 200+ exhibits, which were all designed and built to promote exploration and scien- tific curiosity. A number of STEM profes- sionals will also be present at Es- plora to celebrate and share their exciting work with you. You will also have the opportunity to try out some hands-on demon- strations related to particular research projects with topics varying from virtual reality tech- nology to aerospace technology to research being carried out to better understand the genetics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It is also a great opportu- nity to get to know about what career possibilities are available and to meet some of the people working in these field. For more information, check out Esplora Interactive Sci- ence Centre's fakebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ events/392298158274790/ Engaging with science