St Mary's University College Belfast, in partnership with five other European partners, has been successful in gaining over a quarter of a million pounds of research funding for a STEM project.
The funding, which comes from the Education, Audio-visual and Cultural Executive Agency's Lifelong Learning Programme, is to support a project titled, 'Stimulating Science and Technology Competences Through Innovative Means for Teaching and Learning' (STIMULA). A central dimension of the project is working closely with local post-primary schools and local STEM-related industries. Sentinus, a local organisation that promotes engagement with STEM, is also working closely with the College.
STIMULA aims to support teachers in developing more effective strategies to foster pupil motivation towards, and engagement with, STEM subjects, by facilitating improved working relationships between schools and local STEM-related industries. The ultimate goal of the project is to improve the acquisition of key STEM competences by pupils, therefore contributing to their personal development and future employment prospects.
The European partners are Elhuyar Fundazioa, an education foundation in Spain, Universidad de Zaragoza, Phaenovum, an R&D Company in Germany, Steinbeis Innovation Centre in Germany and Colegiul National Nicolae Titulescu Craiova in Romania. The project's website address is http://stimula-project.eu. The project at St Mary's is managed by Kieran McGeown, working with colleagues Martin Hagan and Damian Knipe.