Dundalk IT Launches new outreach initiative “Science in a Box”

2 days ago

Dundalk Democrat

Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) has announced the launch of a new project, “Science in a Box,” developed in collaboration with secondary school teachers from six schools across the North East region. The project aims to bring engaging science learning experiences into the classroom, sparking curiosity and excitement among students.

The schools involved in bringing this collaboration to life include: Colaiste na Hinse, Laytown and teacher Val Van Veen, St Olivers, Drogheda and teacher Sinead Kelly, Mercy School, Navan and teacher Katie Buchanan, Royal School, Cavan and teacher Lynne Kelly, Our Lady’s, Drogheda and teacher Laura Rahill, and Loretto Balbriggan and teacher Colin Doyle.

Dr Orla Sherlock created the box, working in collaboration with Dr Chiara Hanlon and Dr Bridget Kelly, all lecturers in the Department of Life & Health Sciences in DkIT. The purpose of the initiative is to engage second level school students with third level science programmes as well as educate young students on critical scientific challenges facing our world today in the comfort of their own classrooms.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr Sherlock, Microbiology lecturer and Outreach coordinator at DkIT said: "Science in a Box" aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and encourage them to take action on important health issues. We believe that by bringing real-world challenges into the classroom, we can ignite curiosity and passion for science among students. We would like to thank the very passionate school teachers who have designed this with us and who will deliver this activity in their classes. We are looking forward to hearing from them and their students next week.”

The first box, focusing on the urgent global issue of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), will be delivered to schools by DkIT staff during Science week 2024. This theme was chosen in alignment with DkIT School of Health & Science’s commitment to the One Health framework and ties into a larger initiative -The Microbiology Society Knocking Out AMR project. This project aims to promote practical, effective solutions to the AMR crisis through cross-disciplinary and multi-sector collaboration on a global scale. Education and public engagement on this issue is a key component of the solution.

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School students participating in this activity will complete 3 challenges, a creativity AMR art-based design task, antimicrobial structure modelling and finally an AMR Escape Room challenge. This engaging format not only fosters teamwork and critical thinking but also empowers students to become heroes in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Participants will work in teams and compete within classes as well as across participating schools in the confines of their own classrooms. Schools interested in participating in the "Science in a Box" project can contact the outreach team at https://www.dkit.ie/p/science-outreach.html

Science Week is a week-long event in Ireland each November, celebrating science in our everyday lives. It includes a wide variety of events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers, and students throughout Ireland. In addition, there a number of regional festivals offering a range of opportunities for the public to engage with STEM across Ireland. From the 10th to the 17th November, DkIT will be involved in a variety of activities to celebrate this week, including Cell Explorers: Fantastic DNA Roadshow, H2O Heroes: H2O Heroes Roadshow and a variety of workshops and talks. To find out more about the events taking place visit: https://www.dkit.ie/events/science-week-2024.html

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