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Welcome to the first Calmast newsletter of the New Year, featuring the latest science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) news from the South East and beyond!
We would like to wish you a very happy New Year and a prosperous year to come.
We always like to hear from people, so please email us on calmast@wit.ie with suggestions/ comments /queries.
Thank you for your support,
The Calmast Team
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Calmast Highly Commended at THE Awards
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The Times Higher Education Awards have been recognising outstanding achievements in the UK for over two decades and for the first time this year, Irish accomplishments. The Awards are often referred to as the “Oscars of Higher Education” due to the high level of prestige they carry.
In December, Calmast was highly commended in the “Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of the Year” category. Making it the first ever Irish institution to receive recognition.
Waterford Institute of Technology received the commendation for the efforts of the Calmast STEM Engagement Centre in organizing Maths Week Ireland, which takes place every October across the whole island.
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Robert Boyle Winter School
Returning virtually this year the 5th annual Robert Boyle Winter School marks Boyles 395th Birthday on the 25th January. The festival compliments the Robert Boyle Summer School which celebrates his life and legacy and considers the place of science and technology in our society and culture.
Stay tuned to http://www.robertboyle.ie and Robert Boyle social media for more information on our upcoming winter edition.
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Creative Problem-Solving Day in partnership with MSD
Working in partnership with MSD, Calmast will host a creative problem-solving day as part of their wider Transition Year Programme in February. Students from all across the country will come together to learn about the innovation process, design thinking and entrepreneurship through the lens of climate action and behavioural change.
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The South East Engineering Festival: March 5-11
The South East Engineering Festival was established in 2021 by Calmast in partnership with Institute of Technology Carlow, Engineers Ireland South East Committee and Engineering the South East. The festival returns from Saturday 5th to Friday 11th of March 2022. This year’s festival will explore the wide-ranging profession of engineering, highlighting the array careers in the sector with a particular emphasis on sustainability. For schools, online and hands-on activities will take place throughout the festival. Over the coming weeks check out https://engfest.ie for updated information, upcoming events and schedules.
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 STEMreach Programme
with Peer Teaching
STEMreach is a very successful STEM initiative developed by Calmast connecting higher education, industry, governmental and non-governmental bodies with primary and post-primary schools. The Centre has developed a range of 6-week STEMreach modules covering problem solving, engineering, chemistry, physics, healthcare and more. Creativity, teamwork, communication and sustainability are key aspects of STEMreach.
STEMreach aims to develop key skills, including critical thinking, creativity, innovation and communication, through topics that secondary pupils are interested in, like sustainability.
If you are interested in getting involved with STEMreach for TY in the new academic year please email calmast@wit.ie.
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Highlights of 2021
After an eventful and unpredictable year, Calmast continued to engage with a huge array of communities both nationally and in the southeast. Throughout the year, Calmast led several festivals including coordinating Maths Week nationally, facilitating 3 regional Science Week festivals in Kilkenny, Wexford and the South East, the Robert Boyle Summer and Winter School, Bealtaine Living Earth Festival, and the South East Engineers Festival.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Calmast won ‘Best Education Outreach in Ireland’ at the Education Awards 2021.
- Calmast secured €155,000 funding for ACT Waterford. A creative climate action project focusing on meaningful behavioural change in partnership with Waterford City and County Council.
- Over 400,000 people across the island of Ireland took part in Maths Week 2021.
- The development of 6 regional STEM focused clusters throughout the South-East, in Dungarvan, New Ross, Clonmel, Wexford, Kilkenny and Waterford.
- Coordination of three regional Science Week Festivals with over participants engaging across the wider South East region.
- Despite Covid-19 restrictions, over 21,500 participated in Calmast led events across the South – East in 2021 (exc Science Week and Maths Week)
- The formation of joint Carlow Institute of Technology and Waterford Institute of Technology events, including The South East Engineering Festival, careers events and Transition Year Science Quiz.
- Developing sustained engagement initiatives through the STEMreach 6-week programme, with over 800 students taking part.
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STEM stories from the Region:
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Waterford ranked as Ireland’s Only Clean City
Waterford ranked as Ireland’s only clean city by Irish Business Against Litter. The report cited that Waterford City topped the list of the cities surveyed by a ‘long shot’ and went on to add ‘what is so striking about the top-performing sites is not just the lack of litter but the overall presentation and maintenance of same.’
Areas such as Plunkett Train Station, People’s Park, Medieval Triangle / Cultural Quarter, Bus Eireann Station (The Quays) and the grounds of Waterford Courthouse, were regarded as excellent sites, were well presented and maintained and a complete absence of litter was noted throughout.
To read the full article visit waterfordcouncilnews.com
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ACT Waterford to collaborate with communities for climate action
ACT Waterford to collaborate with 5 local communities in the county focusing on climate action and behavioural. Under the themes of urban green spaces, energy, transport, consumption, and rural environment. These projects are being funded by Creative Ireland through its €2 million Creative Climate Action fund.
The Creative Waterford Team in Waterford City and County Council will team up with Waterford Institute of Technology to engage with five different communities around the city and county to address these vital themes through dialogue.
By recruiting creatives, imaginative approaches will be brought to address these issues and explore solutions. Along the way, this creative artistic output will be shared through public exhibitions and digitally too. At key milestones during the year, Town Hall meetings — both in person and online — will allow the communities to share their experiences and the progress they have made addressing issues.
To read the full article, visit creativeireland.gov.ie
Project Website will be coming soon.
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Have something you want to share?
Have your event or story included here!
If you would like to be included in our upcoming events or STEM Stories from the Region, please contact us at Calmast@wit.ie
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Creative Communities Wexford:
We are excited to be continuing our project as part of the Creative Communities initiative with Wexford County Council in 2022.
The project aims to promote creativity and empower the community to explore their relationship with their maritime environment, and use art as a medium to promote environmental awareness and behaviour change in the wider community in Wexford.
 
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Maths Week Ireland was founded by Calmast at WIT in 2006 and quickly grew to be the biggest festival of its kind in the world. It has been replicated in Maths Week Scotland and Maths Week England and has inspired many other maths events across the world. Maths Week is a partnership of over 50 groups (including all of Higher Education) on the island. Maths Week participation pre-Covid was over 400,000. In 2021 over 386,000 students participated remotely.
Maths Week Ireland 2022 will take place from 15-23 October.
Visit www.mathsweek.ie for maths resources & more information on upcoming events.
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Waterford Institute of Technology is in the process of merging with the Institute of Technology Carlow to create a Technological University for the South East of Ireland. A central pillar of the new university will be external engagement. WIT has a long and proud record in regional engagement. It established Calmast in 2002 to coordinate and develop an already significant effort in STEM engagement. It was the first such centre in higher education in Ireland. It quickly took on an all-island role with the establishment of Maths Week Ireland in 2006. Calmast leverages the resources of WIT - students, staff and physical resources - and works in partnership to promote all areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths to all. "STEM for all" has always been the core value. The work of Calmast promotes and supports
- Responsible citizenship particularly in sustainability
- Inclusivity - STEM for All
- Critical thinking and creativity
- Educational attainment
- Pathways to careers in STEM for all
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Covid Response
When the first lockdown was announced, we had to cancel all our in-person activities. We recognised the enormous challenges that families and teachers faced and decided that we could best serve supporting learning at home. We quickly moved online delivering daily Maths at Home activities and by May we had already developed the capacity to deliver our Bealtaine Living Earth Festival online. Apparently the first major STEM festival in Europe to move online. Since then we have reached new and diverse audiences remotely. When the restrictions end we will use this new capacity alongside our traditional in-person engagement
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Calmast Hub and Cluster Model
Everything we do is in partnership. Calmast works with local authorities and state agencies, industry and business, NGOs, communities and schools. There are lots of great people and groups promoting STEM and there are more that would with support. We can achieve more working together and the presence of Calmast at WIT offers coordination, training and support to all.
Ní neart go cur le chéile.
In partnership with Industry, local authorities, community groups and schools, Calmast is developing the most comprehensive STEM eco-system in Ireland across the South East through our Hub and Cluster Model. The first tranche of clusters are being developed in Waterford, Dungarvan, Clonmel, Kilkenny and Wexford. These clusters will enhance the provision of STEM engagement across teh region.
For more information about the clusters, please email calmast@wit.ie |
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This regional development is enabled by the support of many groups and with generous funding from:
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Follow us on social media for updates:
Facebook: @CalmastSTEMhub
Twitter: @CalmastWIT
Instagram: @calmastwit
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