College STEM WeekA number of the academic staff of the University College as well as sixty undergraduate students will be involved in the initiative and almost two-hundred local primary and post-primary pupils will be actively engaged over the three days.
One of the aims of the initiative is for St Mary’s University College, as part of its outreach programme, to develop closer links with its partner schools around the province. The week will also provide the opportunity for St Mary's BEd undergraduates to disseminate good practice and methodology, which is an integral part of the education that they receive as part of their Bachelor of Education Degree.
As part of the week’s activities, all of the undergraduates will be registered as STEM Ambassadors which recognises their input in mentoring and promoting STEM with young people but will also be an important part of their continuing professional development.
St Mary’s University College is keen to inspire young teachers to continually update their qualifications and skills and to this end they will have the opportunity to listen to a number of high-profile keynote speakers throughout the week.
The following speakers have been carefully chosen as they are actively engaged in cutting edge science and technology:
- Dr Kevin Curran, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science, Magee Campus, University of Ulster
- Dr Hugh McCullough, Chief Engineer, Thales
- Mr Tommy Foreman, Project Engineer, Regional Office, Queen’s University Belfast.
The participating schools are:
- Springfield Primary School, Belfast
- St Paul’s Primary School, Belfast
- Hunterhouse College, Belfast
- St Dominic’s High School, Belfast
- St Patrick’s College, Ballymena
- Rathmore Grammar School, Belfast.