CÚRAM Research Centre for Medical Devices, funded through Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland at University of Galway, is now enrolling for its Teachers in Residence Programme 2024-2025.

Now in its ninth year, the initiative is designed to foster science education by bridging the gap between scientific research and the classroom at both primary and secondary school level.

The programme incorporates researchers from four additional Research Centres across Ireland: APC Microbiome Ireland Research Centre; BiOrbic Bioeconomy Research Centre; FutureNeuro Research Centre for Neurological Diseases; and SSPC Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals, all funded through Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland.

Available for five primary and five secondary school teachers, the programme will run as a series of ten, one-hour online sessions between October 2024 and March 2025. Participating teachers will receive 10 ECTS through University of Galway’s Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, fully funded by CÚRAM. Teachers and their students have the opportunity to visit science centres and exhibits across Ireland, also fully funded by CÚRAM.

Participants will learn about and receive resources for the classroom, including science engagement activities and lesson plan kits developed by teachers for teachers, that are linked with the primary and junior cycle science curricula. Teachers will also collaborate with scientific researchers to develop engaging, relevant educational materials to enrich classroom instruction and spark students’ interest.

To apply for a place visit: https://forms.office.com/e/N5UDZAwhJB

You can explore lesson plan kits developed by previous years’ teachers (including Irish language versions) at https://curamdevicesengage.ie/teachers-in-residence/.

Deadline for applications is Friday, 30^th September 2024.

The STEPS Young Engineers Award 2024-2025 is now open for registration! Aimed at 3^rd and 4^th class teachers, this exciting competition will empower students to design solutions for a local community problem. There is also the opportunity to request an engineer visit to your classroom to inspire the children! Register at:https://steps.smapply.io/

Burrenbeo Trust is thrilled to announce that the latest round of the National Heritage Keepers Programme opens for applications on the 3^rd of September. Over 150 groups and schools have completed the free programme to date. Heritage Keepers are now looking for community groups and senior classes of primary schools to take part in its highly anticipated fourth round.

Through a series of online workshops Heritage Keepers empowers groups and schools to delve into their local heritage and provides funding to allow them to take positive action. Rather than seeking to separate built, cultural and natural heritage the programme works on the principle that all aspects of heritage are very closely inter-linked and that these aspects work together to create our distinctive Places.

In the previous year, 70 schools and communities participated in the programme, with the majority successfully completing local funded projects and actions. These actions included exhibitions, heritage trails, tree planting, podcast creation, booklets, wildlife ponds, oral history projects and ‘Place Celebration’ days. Funding for fieldtrips is also provided meaning participants get to visit local heritage sites in person rather than just learning about them online. Previous participants have highly praised the programme with one primary school teacher commenting “Its more than just talking about helping, its actually doing something”, and another participant saying “It definitely brought us together as a group and we are delighted with what we achieved”.

For those eager to learn more about this wonderful opportunity, an online information session is scheduled for Thursday, September 12th, at 7.30pm. Visit www.heritagekeepers.ie for additional details and to complete a brief application form (submission deadline: October 4th).

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