The School of Science at the Institute of Technology, Sligo has collaborated with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to bring Spectroscopy in a Suitcase (SIAS) to science students in secondary schools in the North West of Ireland. This resource is the sixth SIAS available in Ireland with the others being based in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
This collaboration is the result of active engagement with the RSC Education Coordinator, Dr. John O’Donohue, Trinity College Dublin, Dr. Fiona McArdle, Senior Lecturer, School of Science, IT, Sligo and Ms. Mary Connolly, Technical Officer, School of Science, IT, Sligo, over the past three years.
The equipment recently received by the Institute was funded by SFI and will enable staff and students of the Institute to carry out workshops on spectroscopy (which is on the Leaving Certificate chemistry curriculum) in schools. The chemistry teachers can book a workshop through the RSC website and the workshop will be delivered in the school during regular class time. The workshops are funded by SFI and the RSC and will be presented to the schools in a format that has been tried and tested for the past 10 years throughout Ireland and the UK.
This resource will enable us in the School of Science at IT, Sligo to have significant engagement with the students taking science at second level in our region and we hope will encourage more students to take chemistry for Leaving Certificate.
We have in recent years seen a large increase in the number of companies in employing science graduates and seeking students with good analytical chemistry skills. In the School of Science at IT, Sligo, we have for over 40 years trained scientists to the highest level in good analytical skills. As such we have seen a trend of students gaining employment immediately after completing their studies. We hope this new resource for second level students will encourage students to take STEM courses at third level.
For further information please contact Fiona McArdle – mcardle@nullitsligo.ie /071 930 5635