October 2013 NUI Galway Supports Dr Michel Dugon in bringing RTÉ’s Bug Hunters to Primary and Secondary Schools

Dr Dugon who received his PhD in NUI Galway to use his ‘creepy crawlies’ to bring ecology and biology to life

NUI Galway is to collaborate with Dr Michel Dugon, the presenter of RTÉ’s new children’s television programme on creepy crawlies; ‘Bug Hunters’, in bringing stick insects, tarantulas, giant millipedes, stag beetles, scorpions and other stars of the RTÉ shows to primary and secondary schools.

The RTÉ Bug Hunters series will be broadcast this October as part of the Awesome Autumn series of children’s programming. It will begin today (October 14^th) on RTÉ 2 and will also be broadcast on RTÉ Jr on October 21^st. Further information at rte.ie/bughunters

Bug Hunters’ Michel Dugon will take his Eco EXPLORERS on school visits joining forces with Cell EXPLORERS part of NUI Galway’s School of Natural Sciences outreach programme. The Cell EXPLORERS programme, led by Dr Muriel Grenon, promotes biological and biomedical sciences in schools and to the general public.

Professor Vincent O’Flaherty, Head of the NUI Galway School of Natural Sciences says that “the outreach programme is a practical and effective way of bringing science to life in the classroom for primary and secondary school children. Allowing children to engage with the natural world begins a lifelong relationship with learning and scientific exploration that has led many of our students to study at NUI Galway’s School of Natural Sciences.”

To mark the beginning of the RTÉ Bug Hunters series, Dr Dugon and NUI Galway are offering 5 schools a free half-day Eco EXPLORERS course hosted at NUI Galway. Schools are invited to register for the courses at www.nuigalway.ie/bughunters. The Eco EXPLORERS course is non-profit but does charge schools a fee to cover expenses.

During the Galway Science and Technology Festival, schools can register at http://www.galwayscience.ie/ for Cell EXPLORERS. These school visits are free and feature ‘Fantastic DNA’ and ‘Little Cells’. The programme, run by Dr Muriel Grenon, aims to inspire scientific interest in children, provide teaching resources for teachers and engage the general public in the role of science and its importance in society.

About Dr Michel Dugon

A former teacher, Michel came to NUI Galway holding a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Education and a Masters degree in Ecology.  He completed a PhD in Zoology under Professor Wallace Arthur, Professor Emeritus of Zoology at NUI Galway. Prior to joining NUI Galway, Michel spent several years studying venomous snakes, spiders, scorpions and centipedes in various parts of the world, including France, Vietnam, Malaysia and the UK.

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