Autumn Camp

The Youth Academy are running Autumn courses over six Saturdays in October and November for primary school students.

Students will be taught by engaging and friendly instructors who are experts in their subject areas. All courses are highly interactive and use a variety of teaching techniques to ensure students get the most out of their experience at University of Galway. The courses we offer are outside of the school curriculum which allows students the opportunity to make new discoveries in different areas of study, in a fun and interactive way. The Youth Academy also enriches the school experience by enabling students to learn about new and exciting subjects.

Who can apply?

The Youth Academy Summer Camp is open to students in 4th, 5th or 6th class in the 2024/2025 academic year.

To attend Youth Academy programmes primary school students must present one of the following:

The most recent standardised test report showing below result in English, Maths OR Gaeilge. Eligibility is based on their most recent tests. If results are not back from the 23/24 academic year you can use last years results. These results are usually noted on your child's report card. Your school will also have the results of these tests and can tell you if your child is eligible to apply. You will need to submit proof of their test results to support their application.

STen score of 9 or 10
Standardised score of 123 or above
95th percentile or above

2. A copy of an educational psychologist’s assessment with ability scores included and demonstrating high ability. Reports must be submitted no later than 4 years after the date of the educational psychologist's assessment.

Dates and Times

In person classes

Day	Dates	Time
Saturday	5th, 12th, 19th October, 2nd, 9th, 16th November	10am - 12.30pm

Class time: 10.00am-12.30pm. Students can be dropped off to the classroom from 9.30am

Virtual class: (Biomedical Engineering - see course outline below)

Day	Dates	Time Option 1	Time Option 2
Saturday	5th, 12th, 19th October, 2nd, 9th, 16th November	10am - 11.20am	12pm - 1.20pm

Fees and Scholarships

A fee of €160 for in person course will apply and €125 for virtual courses. If you are successfully selected you will be contacted regarding fee payment after an offer has been made.

Places are allocated on a random selection basis. Due to popular demand and a limited number of places, not all applicants will receive a place.

We have a limited number of scholarships, based on economic circumstances, available for students to attend the Youth Academy free of charge.

If you have a medical card you are eligible to apply for a scholarship. Please apply via the online application form by uploading proof of your medical card details. You can take a photo/scan of your card and upload to the form. 25% of the total number of places we have on offer are allocated on a scholarship basis, so not all who apply for a scholarship will be successful.

When to apply?

An online application form will be available on our website from Wednesday 4th September closing Wednesday 11th September.

Applications are now closed.

Course Descriptions

No prior knowledge is needed. Please be aware that courses are subject to change.

A world that we cannot see: The secret life of microbes

This course teaches you all about microorganisms, the good, bad and evil! Learn all about their secret world through fun and interactive experiments. Some activities include:

Ever wondered about microorganisms in our food? Uncover how good microbes can be used to make food products. Carry out your own fermentation experiment at home to learn about the process of bread making.
Let's put hand hygiene to the test! You will carry out an experiment using bread to see how many microbes are actually killed when we clean our hands.
Discover the dangerous side of microorganisms and how they can cause disease. You will be shown magnified images of different microbes and learn all about the illnesses they can cause.
Find out how we can fight harmful microorganisms. Discover the world of vaccines and antibiotics, but also how microorganisms can fight back. Can you help the scientist figure out which antibiotics will save the patient?
Finally, you will get to create your own microbe! Decide if you want it to be good or evil and show the class.

Fundamentals of Computer Programming

This course focuses on developing the base of students to start with computer programming in a fun and easy way. A fun-to-do block-based programming tool called Scratch would be learned in the first few classes to develop an understanding of programming. After that, Python would be practiced to learn the basics of programming, which will enable the students to make small projects. The course content is as follows:

What is computer programming and why is it important for kids?
How to create a new project in Scratch
How to use blocks to create simple programs
How to use loops and conditions
Creating interactive games and adding sound and graphics to programs
Understanding error messages
Introduction to text-based programming languages (Python)
Why is Python a good programming language for kids?
Variables and data types
Operators and expressions
Input and output
Conditional statements
Loops
Data visualization (optional)

It is Bond, Hydrogen Bond

“I feel sorry for people who don’t understand anything about chemistry. They are missing an important source of happiness!” - Linus Pauling

Chemistry is part of our daily life: starting from the food we eat to the clothes we wear but is not always easy to understand how it can be a “source of happiness”.

In this course, we are going to do experiments (some of them even reproducible in your kitchen!) and learn how we can scientifically explain the outcome. The idea is to have an insight in our molecular world and make this experience as fun as it can be!

Experiments that we will do includes:

Combining matter to make your own soap
Reproduce a Volcano using acid/base chemistry
Find luminescence in natural product (i.e. spinach leaf or turmeric)
Extraction of strawberry’s DNA
The “Oobleck” of Dr. Seuss

…And much more!

Come along, wear your lab coat and goggles, and have fun!

Thinking caps on! From brain waves to brain teasers, a Brain-cation awaits!

Want to learn about the most complex organ of the body? Of course you do- it's a no-brainer! Come along while we explore many key aspects of neuroscience:

The brain is boss- why is the brain so important and what structures make it up?
No man is an island- how does the nervous system help the brain carry out its functions?
Communication is key- how do neurons help the brain to communicate its messages?
Our brain has superpowers- what are some of the amazing things our brain can do?
It’s all an illusion- how does perception play a role in how we see things?
Time to catch some brainwaves- how can we use EEG to see and interpret brain activity?

Extras: brain jokes & puns, quizzes, brain teaser activities, riddles and neuroscience art

Basic Electronics: Understanding Electrical Circuits

This hands-on course introduces students to the fundamentals of electronics and the principles of electrical circuits. Through practical activities, students will explore key components and the functions of simple electric circuits.

Introduction to Electronics and Electrical Circuits:

Importance and applications in everyday life:
Flow of electricity: voltage, current, resistance, and series vs. parallel circuits
Basic components: LEDs, batteries, resistors, switches, transistors, and more

Interactive mBlock and Arduino-Based Projects:

Introduction to mBlock and Arduino o mBot-based robotics control
Project examples:
LED Blinking and Dimming
Traffic Light Simulation
Switch and Photoresistor-Controlled LEDs
Room and Body Temperature Sensing
mBot activities: Obstacle Avoidance, Line following and more

Further Exploration and Resources:

Tips for continued learning
Additional resources and project ideas

Outcome: By the end of the course, students will gain foundational knowledge of electronics and practical experience in circuit building and electronics logic-based control.

Engineering the future: An introduction to civil structural engineering

There is civil engineering all around us. From the house we live in, to the roads we drive on, everything is built by civil engineers. But how do you make such huge structures from skyscrapers to long bridges to massive airports?

This course will introduce the students to the basic principles which govern the basis of all structures. The course will include hands-on activities each week where the students can see these principles at work. By the end of this course, the students will have knowledge about the different types of building materials, the forces acting on structures, and how structures behave under these forces. Finally, the course will also introduce the concept of circularity which is of utmost importance today with global warming and climate change being at the forefront.

Topics include: Introduction to civil engineering, Building materials, Shapes and structures, Forces, How structures fail, Climate change and circularity.

Engineering Adventures: Unleash Your Creativity!

Get ready to blast off into the world of engineering and embark on a thrilling adventure through the fascinating realm of engineering! This course is packed with hands-on fun and mind-blowing discoveries. Young engineers will explore the exciting fields of electronics, civil engineering, mechanics, biomedicine, software, and aeronautics. From the theory behind rocket launches to building buzzing circuits, every week focuses on different branches of engineering. Discover how engineers solve problems, create amazing things, and make the world a better place. Let your imagination take flight as you learn about the incredible work engineers do and how they shape our world. This course will spark curiosity, ignite creativity, and inspire the next generation of problem solvers. By the end of this thrilling journey, our future engineers will start their journey to turn dreams into reality and make the impossible possible.

Get ready to experiment, explore, and engineer your way to success! With hands-on projects and fun challenges, you'll discover that engineering is more than just a job—it's a super cool adventure! Let's build something incredible together!

Wizarding World of Galway Book Club

The Wizarding World of Galway Book Club is for all Harry Potter fans! The book club will be reading Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone over the six sessions of the Youth Academy (a copy of the book will be provided). All participants will receive a copy of the book at the first session and then before each subsequent session children will need to read 3-4 chapters of the book. At each session, youth will get a chance to explore the imaginary world of Harry Potter by making crafts, playing games, and learning more about this wonderful, magical world! The book club is open to all, whether they've read the series before or not.

Impariamo coi cartoni! Learning Italian by captioning and re-voicing cartoons

This course is focused on the needs and interests of children who want to learn the Italian language for the first time. Children learn more effectively when they are having fun and enjoying the learning process. Learning a foreign language can be an enjoyable activity, and this course aims to create a comfortable and friendly environment where children can maximise their learning experience. During this course, children will have fun learning how to give voice to cartoon characters through captioning and re-voicing, inventing stories and rearranging plots, sparking their imagination and expressing their creativity. They will meet popular Italian cartoon characters and will learn how to create an audiovisual product, using innovative online platforms. Additionally, they will develop creative thinking and problem-solving skills while improving their pronunciation, and their communicative and intercultural competence in the Italian language.

Introduction to Ancient Classics: HiStories, Scripts, & Scribes Course

This course will retrace the footsteps of ancient civilisations and will explore what cultural evidence they left behind. We will begin our journey in Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, through to Classical Greece and Rome, and right up to the ‘dark’ Middle Ages. This course offers students an overview of Ancient, Classical, and Medieval histories and will encompass art, archaeology, culture, language, literature, and palaeography!

Students will discover how to write their name in hieroglyphics, they will learn the Greek alphabet, and how to introduce themselves in Latin. Students will also have the opportunity to examine the ancient tools of writing. We will be using papyrus, wax-tablets, parchment, and reed pens to write like the Romans did.

We will investigate the evidence as it survives to us, such as: • Cryptic cuneiform from Mesopotamia • Enigmatic Egyptian hieroglyphs • The great Greek gods and goddesses • The razed ruins of Rome • Gladiators’ graffiti in Pompeii • Ligneous letters from Roman soldiers • Marvellous medieval manuscripts

Biomedical Engineering: A Journey Through Our Body, the Marvellous Machine (virtual class - online only)

Calling all young innovators and problem solvers! Are you curious about how engineering can shape the human body's incredible systems? Join us on this 6-week journey into the marvellous machine that is our human body!

Throughout this course, we'll blend engaging hands-on activities so you can discover the engineering behind our human body to; (1) understand the human heart, (2) explore the secrets of the nervous system and (3) discover the mechanics behind our musculoskeletal system. Once you learn how you can apply your problem-solving skills to design lifesaving medical devices, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve! Buckle up and get ready to think like a biomedical engineer, as we embark on this journey through our body, the marvellous machine.

Topics Include: