Congratulations go out to 4th year BSc. in Education student, Leanne O’ Connor, who has won the inaugural scholarship from Boston Scientific and RAISE to support her studies as a student teacher of STEM disciplines. She earned the award following a rigorous evaluation stage, with submissions across Irish HEI teacher education programmes received. Her essay was entitled ‘My role as a STEM educator and advocate’. Leanne received her award at a ceremony hosted by Boston Scientific in Galway and was attended by Dr. Tom Delahunty on behalf of the Department of Education and RAISE.
RAISE, the Research, Application and Inclusion in STEM Education, is a research group led by Dr. Tom Delahunty from the Department of Education. The group was founded in 2019, involves active researchers across several Irish HEIs, and has a broad remit aimed at enhancing educational opportunities as well as extending access and diversity in STEM. See more at www.raise-stem.ie.
The idea of the bursary was based on international research highlighting the positive impacts of scholarships on both the societal value of the teaching profession and the improved confidence of those eligible in their choice of career. This scholarship comes at a time of significant challenges in teacher supply with notable shortages in STEM disciplines such as Mathematics and Physics. It is hoped this bursary from Boston Scientific and RAISE will help to alleviate some of the known financial challenges, faced by those wishing to earn qualifications as a teacher in Ireland, that has been pinpointed by recent national research.
This is a significant achievement for Leanne, who is currently finishing her undergraduate studies and preparing for her final year of study in the Professional Masters programme next year. Dr. Zerrin Doganca Kucuk, programme director for years 3 and 4 of the BSc. Education programme at Maynooth, described this as a significant achievement for the Department of Education and the BSc. programme, with it speaking to the quality of students graduating from the programme and their enormous commitment and passion to progressing STEM education in Ireland.