Study visit to examples of good STEM practice in Dublin within the project STEM for a sustainable future
From 3 to 5 May 2022, ODRAZ organized a study visit to Dublin for representatives of CSOs and academia. Representatives of the partners visited examples of good STEM practice: Engineers of Ireland, Technical University, TOG Hackerspace, Trinity College and the Institute of Art, Design + Technology.
The project will strengthen the capacities of civil society organizations, students and other young people, teaching and non-teaching staff of partner educational institutions and thus gain a new circle of trained stakeholders to promote STEM and strengthen cooperation between academia and civil society.
We started the study visit program with the presentation of STPES, a program of the Engineers Ireland association, which aims to encourage and educate future generations of engineers through projects and activities. They spend an week of engineers, award prizes for the best engineering solution and, in collaboration with scouts, an engineer’s badge for girls and more. The goals of STEPS are to present engineering primarily to students, to inspire young people to enroll in STEM studies, and they also advocate for gender equality in engineering and motivate companies to involve young people in their work.
On the second day of the study visit to Dublin we visited the Technical University, which was founded in 2019. In a short time they became internationally famous. In addition to technology, the university also supports sustainable development through the study of the same name. Representatives of individual studies briefly told us about the activities, projects and content of professional and university studies.
We used the afternoon part of the program to visit the TOG Hackerspace, which was founded by representatives of the maker and STEM culture. TOG encourages the development of do-it-yourself culture, holds workshops, educates, and members are free to use the space for their innovative practices.
We started the third day of the study trip by visiting Trinity College, which is considered one of the most prestigious European universities. Representatives of the Department of Electronic Engineering instructed us in the content of studies and how to prepare students for work in a real industrial environment and gave us an insight into the laboratories where students have the opportunity to turn theory into practice, or their makerspace. We also visited the Trinity University Library Book of Kells.
We ended the program with a visit to the Institute of Art, Design + Technology. It was established as an autonomous higher education institution within the Institutes of Technology sector. Today, IADT has 2,300 full-time students from over 80 different nations, 800 part-time students and is set to grow to 3,000+ full-time places. IADT has built an international reputation in the creative, cultural, entrepreneurial and digital media sectors and is also a valued educational and enterprise partner in Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown and the wider Dublin and East Coast region.
Photo gallery is available HERE.
The study visit is a part of the project STEM for a sustainable future. More about the project read HERE.
The project was co-financed by the European Union from the European Social Fund. The project is co-financed by the Office for Non-Governmental Organizations of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The contents of this text is the responsibility of ODRAZ.
