CÚRAM, the SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices at NUI Galway, is now enrolling for its Teachers in Residence Programme for the seventh year, with applications being accepted up to Friday, 23 September 2022.

The programme, which will be taking place online, is available for five primary and five secondary school teachers and will run from October 2022 over ten evenings until March 2023. The online sessions will be held twice a month, from 7pm to 8pm. Teachers will receive 10 ECTS through NUI Galway's Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, fully funded by CÚRAM.

Programme lead Dr Sarah Gundy explains, “For the first time ever this year, we’ll be hosting a mini-conference for alumni of the programme as well as new entrants. `we will be welcoming primary and secondary teachers from across Ireland to hear more about the programme and experts in the field of science education as well as input from CÚRAM’s MedTech industry partners.”

During the residency, teachers will speak directly with world-leading researchers to learn about medical device research at CÚRAM to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic illnesses. Teachers from all disciplines are invited to support and encourage multidisciplinary approaches to teaching science. Participants will learn about and receive resources for the classroom, including science engagement activities, science capital teaching approaches, and lesson plan kits developed by teachers for teachers, that are linked with the primary and junior cycle science curricula.

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director at CÚRAM, said: "We are delighted with the innovation and creativity shown by the primary and secondary teachers who have participated in this programme. If we can continue to support and inspire our teachers by providing access to current, cutting-edge Irish research and work with them to incorporate it into classroom activities, our hope is that they, in turn, can inspire their students for years to come. We also want to provide practical support through resources that can be used in classrooms and online.”

Teachers will work directly with CÚRAM researchers to develop high-quality content for the classroom that is relevant, engaging, and practical to use. The material generated during the residency will be shared with all participants and their schools. Lesson plan kits developed from previous years' teachers, including Irish language versions, can be downloaded at https://curamdevicesengage.ie/teachers-in-residence/.

CÚRAM is a partner in the Department of Education and Skills' Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) STE(A)M in Junior Cycle initiative. This initiative is to provide Professional Learning Experiences for Junior Cycle teachers that allow for interdisciplinary responses to societal challenges in subject-specific and cross-curricular contexts.

To apply for a place in the Teachers in Residence Programme or to find out more, please contact sarah.gundy@nuigalway.ie.