DkIT introduces new STEM Research Programme for NI Secondary Schools

29 August 2018

Six students from across counties Down and Armagh recently participated in a cross-border STEM research placement programme at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) designed for NI secondary school students.

The research placements were organised via the Nuffield Research Placement Programme which provides over 1,100 students each year with the opportunity to work alongside professional scientists (including quantitative social scientists), technologists, engineers and mathematicians.

This is the first year that the programme has been opened out to Institutes in the Republic of Ireland and DkIT was delighted to offer placements within its Electrochemistry Research Group.

Speaking at the launch, Nuffield Research Placement Programme Coordinator Karin Walker commented:

As coordinator for the Northern Ireland programme I’m delighted to extend our partnerships with organisations across the border this year. Previously we have only been allowed to engage Northern Ireland companies and organisations and it is fantastic to have DkIT participate in the programme this year.”

Speaking about DkIT’s involvement, Head of Research at DkIT Tim McCormac added:

Providing these placement opportunities to the students from Northern Ireland fits perfectly into our research strategy, in that it aims to foster a research culture amongst secondary level students and to highlight what we do in research here at DkIT to the wider community. It also underpins our commitment to providing opportunities in higher education to students from our surrounding region of North Leinster and South Ulster which includes Northern Ireland.”

As part of this placement, students undertook a 4 week research project, looking at a modified electrode system for biomedical and environmental applications. The placement provided students with opportunities to work alongside DkIT research staff gaining hands-on experience in the areas of synthetic chemistry, employment of modern electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques.

For more information on research opportunities at DkIT please visit www.dkit.ie/research-and-innovation

Further information on the Nuffield Research Placement Programme can be found at: http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/nuffield-research-placements