Atlantic Conference 2011

On March 10th 2011, the Irish Midlands will host an international conference which will explore a variety of issues surrounding the development and promotion of science, technology, engineering and maths education. The conference promises to be an informative and enlivening event. A range of key speakers from Ireland, UK and North America will develop a lively and stimulating forum for debate.
The key theme to be addressed is – how can educators inspire students to engage with science, technology, engineering and maths ?

The conference is a project of Atlantic Corridor, a Department of Foreign Affairs funded initiative which seeks to develop links for the Irish Midlands for education and business projects with partner regions in Northern Ireland, the USA and Canada.

This is the third such event run by Atlantic Corridor, the first conference on science education promotion in late 2008 was a huge success and 2010 was enlivened by the participation of almost 130 second-level students, who shared their views on what they wanted from STEM education. Conferences to date have resulted in initiatives such as biotechnology classes in primary and secondary school, science classes by video conferencing with Georgia Tech researchers and new initiatives in careers advice and international linkages for schools and further education providers. The above outcomes all contribute in a tangible and exciting way to building the knowledge economy.
 

We live in a society and in a time that is experiencing innovation at ever increasing speeds that is yielding huge changes in the way in which goods and services are produced. Such innovation needs skills that are increasingly sophisticated and are to a large degree dependent on the skills developed through a science and technology based education.