CÚRAM, the SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices at University of Galway, is now enrolling for its Teachers in Residence Programme 2023-2024. 

Now in its eighth year, the initiative is designed to foster science education by bridging the gap between scientific research and the classroom. 

CÚRAM has expanded the forthcoming programme to incorporate researchers from four additional SFI Research Centres across Ireland: APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre; BiOrbic Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre; FutureNeuro, the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases; and SSPC SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals.

Available for five primary and five secondary school teachers, the programme and will run as a series of ten, one-hour online sessions between October 2023 and March 2024. Participating teachers will receive 10 ECTS through University of Galway’s Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development, fully funded by CÚRAM. Teachers and their students also have the opportunity to attend interactive workshops at various science centres and exhibits across Ireland.

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director at CÚRAM, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with other SFI Research Centres this year to broaden the scope and reach of this already successful programme. By infusing their teaching with the latest scientific developments, we hope teachers can inspire students to be aware of the relevance of science in their lives. We also want to provide practical support through resources that can be used in classrooms and online.”

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 and lesson plan kits developed by teachers for teachers, that are linked with the primary and junior cycle science curricula. 

Teachers will also collaborate with scientific researchers to develop engaging, relevant educational materials to enrich classroom instruction and spark students’ interest. 

To apply for a place in the Teachers in Residence Programme 2023-2024 or to explore and download lesson plan kits developed by previous years’ teachers (including Irish language versions), can be downloaded at https://curamdevicesengage.ie/teachers-in-residence/. 

Deadline for applications is Friday, 29 September 2023.