November 2013 NUI Galway EXPLORE Celebrates 39 Innovation Projects That Have Brought Ideas to Life for Over 10,000 People in 18 Months

The NUI Galway student and staff collaboration is also announcing the winners of EXPLORE initiative ReelLife Science; Ireland’s only School’s Science Video Competition

EXPLORE, NUI Galway’s staff / student collaboration brings ideas to life. Those ideas and initiatives have engaged with over 10,000 people in the 18 months since the scheme was established as a unique, joint initiative of NUI Galway and NUI Galway Students’ Union.

Those 39 ideas have seen over 2,000 primary, secondary and third level students gain new experiences; YouTube views of over 8,000 on various projects over 300 have attended social connector meetups through the work of 200 students and staff of NUI Galway.

ReelLife Science, Ireland’s first Schools Science Video competition, is one of the innovations of EXPLORE, and today announces the winners (listed below) of their inaugural competition.

A showcase of EXPLORE’s work will be held between 12.30 to 14.00 on Wednesday 20^th November 2013 in the Bailey Allen Hall, opened by NUI Galway Vice President for Innovation & Performance Professor Chris Curtin and Students’ Union President Seán Kearns.

Other initiatives include a locator app for defibrillators in the West of Ireland, bilingual video teaching aids for primary, secondary and third level students, and a mental health awareness initiative for secondary schools.

Over 500 primary school students have participated in Cell Explorers science outreach programmes, around 300 people have attended Exponential social connector meet ups, while Video Lab chemistry teaching aids have already had in excess of 2,000 views. Project themes span areas including technology, the arts, outreach, the environment, health, employability, mentoring, and teaching/learning/skills development.

ReelLife Science Winners (Can be seen at www.reellifescience.com.)

Secondary Schools; St. Enda’s College Transition Year student Michael McAndrew scoops first prize for his production of an animated video entitled ‘Life in Space’. The video combines a fantastic concept and cartoon style with an intelligent script, wonderful delivery and original score. 

Second place; Students from St. Mary’s College in Galway who produced an imaginative film about ‘The Future for Stem Cells’. Third place; Claregalway College first year student Natasha Feery Byrne who warns of the perils of ‘Littering’ in her video.

Primary School; 5^th and 6^th class students in Scoil Mhuire Rosmuc, a video as Gaeilge with humorous sketches about the dispersal and germination of different varieties of seeds. Runners-up; Cloghans Hill National School, Tuam with a video called ‘Germ Busters’. Third place; Junior and Senior infants of Belmont National School, Milltown, who described the ‘Five Senses’.

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