Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD, and Minister for Education Norma Foley TD, have announced €1.2 million in funding to extend the STEM Passport for Inclusion project.
The project, led by Dr Katriona O’Sullivan at Maynooth University, addresses gender inequalities among female pupils in socially disadvantaged communities through an innovative programme of mentoring and education supports.
The €1.2 million project will be funded jointly by the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Discover Programme (€300k), the Department of Education (€300k), and Microsoft Ireland (€600k).
Speaking about the project, Minister Simon Harris said: “I am delighted to announce today that €1.2million has been awarded to the STEM Passport for Inclusion project. This is a really worthy programme which aims to engage Transition Year girls with STEM, opening pathways to further and higher education. My Department is committed to increasing the number of women and girls studying and working in STEM subjects. I hope that initiatives like this one will help to inspire a new generation of female leadership in science, research, and innovation.”
Minister Foley said: “I would like to congratulate Katriona O’Sullivan and her team on this wonderful initiative. The Recommendations on Gender Balance in STEM Education launched earlier this year, illustrated the importance of encouraging female participation in STEM. In Ireland, out of almost 120,000 people working in STEM, just one-quarter are women. The STEM Passport for Inclusion project was included in the recommendations and is an excellent initiative which aims to make STEM subjects more accessible and attractive to female students across the country.”
The STEM Passport for Inclusion offers female secondary school students the opportunity to graduate with a university-accredited STEM skills module, and to develop a meaningful mentoring relationship with women in Industry. Recent research conducted by Maynooth University has shown that 16% of female students were not studying a science subject at Higher Level for the Leaving Certificate, while 6% of female students do not have the opportunity to study STEM subjects at Secondary level. The initiative provides a platform for girls to understand, participate and celebrate STEM, in order to increase STEM awareness and create pathways to further and higher education in STEM.
Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, of Maynooth University’s Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, said: “I am delighted that STEMp.inc has got the combined support of SFI, the Department of Education and Microsoft to expand nationally. We aim to ensure that every young woman, irrespective of socio-economic background, gets a chance to see where they fit in the STEM eco-system. I am looking forward to growing our partnerships with Atlantic Technological University, and Munster Technological University and other industry partners, as well as expanding our work with Microsoft’s Dream Space team as their vision and passion for STEM has ensured that the 1,250 young women we have worked with so far are motivated and ready to excel in the STEM workforce.”
The STEM Passport for Inclusion programme was co-designed by the education leads at Microsoft Ireland and Maynooth University and is delivered by Microsoft’s Dream Space team at its campus in Leopardstown, Dublin, and in the RDI Hub in Kerry. The national programme will empower 5,000 Transition Year girls from unrepresented communities to gain a Level 6 STEM qualification, which may not otherwise be available to them, and go on to apply for STEM courses at Maynooth University, Munster Technological University and Atlantic Technological University.
ALL Institute: Assisting Living & Learning
ToggleGovernment announces €1.2m in funding to STEM Passport for Inclusion
News
ALL member Dr Katriona O’Sullivan presents at Mutual Learning Workshop on Gender and Digitalization organized within the framework of the Horizon 2020 GENDERACTION project.
Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, Member of the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute and Dept. of Psychology Digital Skills Lecturer, presents at the Mutual Learning Workshop on Gender and Digitalization. Katriona’s presentation entitled ‘We are not all the same”: considering the interaction between class and gender in participation in the digital world’ took place Thursday, 15th April 2021.
Date: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Co-Director of ALL Institute Professor Mac MacLachlan speaks to Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters
Co-Director of ALL Institute Professor Mac MacLachlan speaks to Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters
Date: Friday, 04 June 2021
EUROPEAN SEATING SYMPOSIUM: KNOWLEDGE SERIES
European Seating Symposium Incorporating Assistive Technology Knowledge Series Introducing the European Seating Symposium’s exciting new Knowledge Series of interactive webinars offering an in-depth focus on key topics for clinicians working in the field of seating and wheeled mobility, as well as acute and community based healthcare settings, including disability and rehabilitation services. Taking place June 2022.
Date: Friday, 04 June 2021
New article published in Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development by ALL members Ana Maria Sánchez Rodríguez and Joanne McVeigh and co- director Malcolm MacLachlan
New article published in Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development by Ana Maria Sánchez Rodríguez, Malcolm MacLachlan and Joanne McVeigh. The article is entitled: Scaling of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities: A Case Study in the People’s Democratic Republic of Lao. This article is part of a larger study on scaling social community innovations, particularly looking at Laos. The study was funded by the Irish Research Council, under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND Collaborative Research Fellowships for a Responsive and Innovative Europe (CAROLINE) (Grant agreement no. 713279).
Date: Friday, 07 May 2021
Flying Roots: Participatory Documentary Screening & Discussion
The ALL (Assisting Living & Learning) Institute is delighted to announce an upcoming event entitled, ‘Flying Roots: Participatory Documentary Screening and Discussion’. It will take place via Microsoft Teams, Tuesday, 11th May 2021 5pm – 7pm. ‘Flying Roots’ follows a group of teenagers, using a participatory video lab, telling three second-generation stories. ‘Flying Roots’ is a collective self-narrative documentary about the search for self and identity that explores some urgent issues for the youths: who I am, what my origins are, what my future is. The project was produced by ZaLab, with the support of the Evens Foundation Media Literacy Prize 2017, Regione Lazio and Piazza Vittorio APS.
Date: Friday, 07 May 2021
Dr Rosie Gowran member of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University co-author's paper published in Disability and Society
Dr Rosie Gowran member of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University co-authored paper published in Disability and Society, entitled, 'How governments manage personal assistance schemes in response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Scoping Review'.
Date: Friday, 16 April 2021
New book published by ALL co-director Prof Mac MacLachlan and ALL member Dr Joanne McVeigh
New edited book published by ALL (Assisting Living and Learning) Institute co-director Prof Mac MacLachlan and ALL member Dr Joanne McVeigh entitled, ‘Macropsychology: A Population Science for Sustainable Development Goals’.
Date: Thursday, 15 April 2021
Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez, ALL member, participated at 9th Annual Conference of ALTER, European Society for Disability Research
Ana María Sánchez Rodríguez, ALL member, participated at 9th Annual Conference of ALTER, European Society for Disability Research. The online Conference took place on April 8th to 9th, 2021.
Date: Monday, 12 April 2021
Funded PhD Opportunity with DANCING Project, an ALL Institute Project in the Dept. of Law
Applicants should have a first degree in Law and a master degree in Law with a focus on EU law. Position start date: Sept 21. Closing date for applications: 30/4/21.
Date: Friday, 26 March 2021
Dr Rosie Gowran member of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University has a new paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Dr Rosie Gowran member of the Assisted Living and Learning (ALL) Institute, Maynooth University has a new paper published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, entitled, 'Understanding the Global Challenges to Accessing Appropriate Wheelchairs: Position Paper'.
Date: Wednesday, 24 March 2021