Second-level students participate in UCD New Era Summer Schools
Throughout the month of June, 148 secondary school students from over 20 schools visited the UCD campus for the New ERA Uni4U and 5th Year summer schools. The students attended a series of taster talks which included a science talk about astronomy. Video clips of NASA astronauts brought home the real challenges of living on board the International Space Station.
Second year student Sarah McDaid said that she: “loved hearing about what it's like for an astronaut in space and about the new planet. I didn't realise that physics and chemistry were involved.”
After examining space exploration and some UCD connections with the European Space Agency the talk then explored the very real problem of global warming. The students heard about current UCD research into finding solutions for environmental problems and were set the task of devising ways to save energy.
The summer school also featured a maths workshop based on the Fibinocci Numbers and the Golden Ratio, which was provided by Dr Maria Meehan from the UCD School of Mathematical Sciences. “The idea was to show the students how maths is used in nature and within our human bodies,” explains Ursula Finnegan, a postgraduate student who ran the workshop with Ian Harris and Daniel Foran.
Cian Murray, a postgraduate student from the UCD School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, hosted chemistry sessions where the students witnessed the magic of liquid nitrogen, dry ice, iodine clocks, ammonia fountains and dichromate volcanoes.
"I think these lab sessions are a fun, interactive way to develop an interest in science, and give the participants an insight into the world of chemistry they might not be aware of," explains Cian.
To gain an insight into what life as a researcher was like, the UCD Conway Institute hosted a tour of their facilities. The students learned about the daily life of a researcher and saw the techniques used by scientists to unravel some of life’s mysteries.
