The College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway has announced details of a Special Entrance Maths Examination which will give students a second chance to pursue careers in Engineering and IT. The exam, which takes place on Wednesday, 22 August, is for students who achieve the CAO points for an undergraduate Engineering or IT Degree course at NUI Galway but have not met the Leaving Cert maths requirement.

In advance of this exam NUI Galway will hold an intensive preparatory course for applicants intending to sit the exam. This free course will run for five days, from Thursday, 16 August to Tuesday, 21 August (including Saturday).

In addition to preparing students for the Special Entrance Examination, lecturers will demonstrate the relevance and application of mathematics to Engineering and will highlight the applicability of mathematics to some illustrative engineering examples. The aim of the preparatory course is to bridge the gap between the Leaving Certificate lower level and that required to be successful in the entrance exam; this will be achieved by tackling a variety of problems of increasing difficulty. Learning how to approach a problem and apply the knowledge available will be emphasised.

For more than 20 years, NUI Galway has provided this special entrance exam to help applicants who did not achieve the required grade in Leaving Cert mathematics. Those who took either higher level or ordinary level maths in the Leaving Cert can apply for the exam. Students who pass this special entrance examination will be deemed to have satisfied the maths requirement and providing they have the necessary points, will receive an additional CAO offer at Round Two.

Dr Edward Jones, Vice-Dean of the College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway, said: “The Engineering and Informatics programmes at NUI Galway foster the development of analytical and problem solving skills, and mathematical ability is one of the fundamental tools of the trade. Every year, we have a number of students who haven’t achieved the necessary results in Leaving Cert maths taking advantage of our Special Entrance Maths Examination to demonstrate that they have the necessary ability in this area. Many of these students are high achievers who are ideally suited to engineering, and they go on to graduate and pursue successful careers because they were given the second chance which this Special Entrance Exam represents. The preparatory course in advance of the exam has also proved very popular with students taking the entrance exam.”

The new four-story Engineering Building at NUI Galway, opened in July 2011 by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, accommodates some 1,100 students and 110 staff with its 400 rooms. The 14,250 sqm building is supporting an emerging generation of engineers engaged in a new wave of technologies, and embracing innovation and entrepreneurship. The building has been designed to be a teaching tool in itself, with exposed construction techniques and an array of ecological building methods.

The College of Engineering and Informatics at NUI Galway offers a broad range of courses across the major engineering and informatics disciplines, including recently-introduced courses such as Energy Systems Engineering, which is designed in response to a growing demand for professional engineers to work in the energy sector, and Sports and Exercise Engineering, designed to develop the skills and expertise to design sports and exercise equipment of the future. NUI Galway also offers students an 'undenominated' entry route to Engineering which allows them to delay their choice of final discipline until the end of their first year of study.

To apply for the Special Maths Examination, or for further information, visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering/specialmaths.html. The deadline for applications for the examination is Friday, 17 August and photo ID will be required on the day of the exam. Those interested in the preparatory maths course and the examination should call 091 492101 or email engineeringandinformatics@nuigalway.ie .

-ENDS-

Seans Eile á thabhairt ag OÉ Gaillimh do Mhic Léinn na hArdteistiméireachta trí Scrúdú Speisialta Matamaitice a Reáchtáil

Tá Coláiste na hInnealtóireachta agus na hIonformaitice in OÉ Gaillimh i ndiaidh a fhógairt go mbeidh an Scrúdú Speisialta Iontrála Matamaitice, scrúdú a thugann seans eile do mhic léinn tabhairt faoi ghairm na hInnealtóireachta agus na Teicneolaíochta Faisnéise, ar bun arís i mbliana. Beidh an scrúdú ar siúl Dé Céadaoin, an 22 Lúnasa, agus tá sé dírithe ar mhic léinn a bhaineann na pointí cuí don CAO amach chun cúrsa céime san Innealtóireacht nó sa Teicneolaíocht Faisnéise a dhéanamh in OÉ Gaillimh ach nach bhfuil an marc atá riachtanach acu sa mhatamaitic.

Beidh dianchúrsa ullmhúcháin ar siúl in OÉ Gaillimh roimh ré dóibh siúd ar mian leo an scrúdú a dhéanamh. Beidh an cúrsa saor in aisce seo ar siúl ar feadh cúig lá ó Déardaoin, an 16 Lúnasa go dtí Dé Máirt, an 21 Lúnasa (Dé Sathairn san áireamh).

Ní hamháin go n-ullmhófar daltaí don Scrúdú Speisialta Iontrála, ach léireoidh léachtóirí an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an matamaitic san Innealtóireacht agus an úsáid is féidir a bhaint as an matamaitic i samplaí innealtóireachta. Is é an aidhm atá leis an gcúrsa ullmhúcháin seo cur lena mbíonn foghlamtha ag na daltaí ag an ngnáthleibhéal san Ardteistiméireacht, le go n-éireoidh leo sa scrúdú iontrála matamaitice; déanfar seo trí thabhairt faoi fhadhbanna éagsúla ag leibhéil éagsúla deacrachta a réiteach. Cuirfear béim ar an gcaoi le tabhairt faoi fhadhb agus ar an gcaoi a gcuirfear an t-eolas atá ar fáil i bhfeidhm.

Le breis agus scór bliain anuas, tá an scrúdú speisialta iontrála seo á reáchtáil ag OÉ Gaillimh chun cabhrú le hiarratasóirí nach bhfuil an grád riachtanach bainte amach acu sa pháipéar matamaitice san Ardteistiméireacht. Féadfaidh daoine a rinne an páipéar gnáthleibhéil nó an páipéar ardleibhéil Matamaitice san Ardteistiméireacht cur isteach ar an scrúdú. Má fhaigheann daltaí pas sa scrúdú seo beidh an riachtanas matamaitice sásaithe aige/aici agus gheobhaidh sé/sí tairiscint eile ón CAO i mBabhta a Dó má bhíonn na pointí cuí aige/aici.

Dúirt an Dr Edward Jones, Leas-Déan Choláiste na hInnealtóireachta agus na hIonformaitice: “Ar na cláir Innealtóireachta agus Ionformaitice in OÉ Gaillimh cuirtear le scileanna anailíseacha agus le scileanna chun fadhbanna a réiteach. Ceann de na huirlisí is bunúsaí sa cheird seo cumas sa mhatamaitic. Gach bliain, bíonn roinnt daltaí againn nach bhfaigheann na torthaí riachtanacha sa mhatamaitic san Ardteistiméireacht agus tugann siad faoin Scrúdú Speisialta Iontrála Matamaitice chun a léiriú go bhfuil an cumas riachtanach acu sa réimse sin. Is daltaí uaillmhianacha go leor de na daltaí seo agus feileann an innealtóireacht go mór dóibh. Éiríonn leo céim a bhaint amach agus slí bheatha a chothú dóibh féin mar go bhfaigheann siad an dara deis leis an Scrúdú Speisialta Iontrála seo. Bíonn an-tóir ag daltaí a thugann faoin scrúdú iontrála ar an gcúrsa ullmhúcháin roimh ré chomh maith.”

Tá 1,110 mac léinn agus 110 comhalta foirne mar aon le 400 seomra san Fhoirgneamh nua Innealtóireachta ceithre stór, a d’oscail an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, i mí Iúil 2011. Tá an foirgneamh 14,250 méadar cearnach ina chnámh taca ag glúin nua innealtóirí a rachaidh i ngleic le teicneolaíochtaí nua agus a thabharfaidh faoin nuálaíocht agus faoin bhfiontraíocht. Is uirlis teagaisc ann féin an foirgneamh mar gur fágadh teicnící tógála gan chumhdach ann agus úsáideadh an iliomad modhanna tógála éiceolaíocha ann.

Tá réimse leathan cúrsaí sna príomhdhisciplíní innealtóireachta agus ionformaitice á dtairiscint ag Coláiste na hInnealtóireachta agus na hIonformaitice in OÉ Gaillimh: cúrsaí amhail Innealtóireacht Chórais Fuinnimh a bunaíodh mar gheall ar an éileamh atá ar innealtóirí gairmiúla in earnáil an fhuinnimh agus Innealtóireacht Spóirt agus Aclaíochta, a bunaíodh le scileanna agus saineolas a fhorbairt le trealamh spóirt agus aclaíochta na todhchaí a dhearadh. Tá cúrsa ‘neamhainmnithe’ san Innealtóireacht ar fáil do mhic léinn in OÉ Gaillimh chomh maith ionas go mbeidh na mic léinn in ann a rogha disciplín a phiocadh ag deireadh na chéad bhliana.

Chun iarratas a dhéanamh ar an Scrúdú Speisialta Matamaitice, nó chun eolas breise a fháil féach http://www.nuigalway.ie/engineering/specialmaths.html. Is é spriocdháta na n-iarratas Dé hAoine, an 17 Lúnasa agus teastóidh cárta aitheantais a bhfuil grianghraf díot air ag an scrúdú. Ba chóir do dhuine ar bith a bhfuil suim aige/aici sa chúrsa ullmhúcháin agus sa scrúdú glao a chur ar 091 492101 nó ríomhphost a sheoladh chuig engineeringandinformatics@nuigalway.ie .

-CRÍOCH-