The SSPC Education and Public Engagement (EPE) programme plays a key role in communicating the importance and value of this sector to the wider society in Ireland. The extensive programme provides activities aimed at a diverse group of stakeholders. Since 2013, over 90 SSPC researchers have participated and aided in the delivery of 310 public engagement events. Bespoke initiatives have been developed, tailored to suit the diverse social groupings that fall within the SSPC EPE remit. Further work in the SSPC EPE space has led to direct engagement with over 100,000 people and indirect engagement with over 1.5M people through traditional media. The SSPC actively engages in education and outreach activities, to-date having attended multiple national and local public engagement activities enabling SSPC research to be disseminated to wide audience.
These include:
- Science Week
- National Ploughing Championships 2016
- RDS Primary Science Fair Limerick
- SSPC National Crystal Growing Competition
- Spectroscopy in a Suitcase
- Active Ageing Week
- ICYMI - SSPC's appearance on RTE's The Late Late Show
- St Patrick's Festival
- St Patrick's BT Young Scientist Exhibition
- Mallow Maths and Science Fair
- SciFest. In April 2014, Dr Sarah Hayes, SSPC Education and Outreach Officer, presented a prize to the Best Project Award winners of SciFest in IT Tralee.
- Science Week. In August 2013 the SSPC supported the hosting of a Free Movie "Back to the Future"
- Smart Futures Roadshow @ www.smartfutures.ie
- Check out some career stories
- http://www.smartfutures.ie/node/1286
- http://www.smartfutures.ie/who-works-stem/simon-curran-project-chemist-p...
- http://www.smartfutures.ie/who-works-stem/donal-kelleher-manufacturing-d...
- http://www.smartfutures.ie/who-works-stem/brian-quigley-senior-process-c...
SSPC Public Event series and workshops programme specifically target cultural and societal impacts and health and wellbeing impacts. Events for this series are always developed and carried out in cooperation with community partners and aim to contribute to culture, society and health. An example of an activity contributing to this area is SSPC event ‘The STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) of a great cup of Coffee’ which was developed in collaboration with SSPC Researchers, MACSI, Canteen (coffee shop in Limerick City Centre), and Christopher Hendon (MIT). This event brought Barista’s and coffee lovers from across Ireland to taste the effects of particle size on coffee, and to understand the role water has to play in the taste.
Conferences/Events
- European Conference on Research in Chemical Education in Barcelona, "Inspiring Science through Research": SSPC Education & Outreach Officer, Dr Sarah Hayes gave a keynote lecture on 'Information Chemistry Education: A Missed Opportunity?'.
- TEMI conference: Irish Partner contingent in Leiden, The NetherlandsL SSPC Education & Outreach Officer, Dr Sarah Hayes ran a workshop called The circus of mysteries.
- Irish Science Teachers Association AGM: SSPC Education & Outreach Officer, Dr Sarah Hayes exhibited SSPC at the Irish Science Teachers Association AGM, which was held from the 11th – 13th of April in the Meyrick Hotel and NUI Galway. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Inspiring Science from Ireland’s Silicon Valley.
- Listowel Writers Week: In May 2014, SSPC Education and Outreach Officer Dr Sarah Hayes hosted a Science Magic Show for Listowel's Writers' Week, 'Rewrite Science'.
