President of DCU, Professor Daire Keogh is thrilled to have the Mobile Newton Room at Dublin City University (DCU) for the next three weeks.
DUBLIN/IRELAND: This May, over 600 Transition Year students in secondary schools from across Ireland will enjoy the Newton learning experience.
DCU is known for its innovative approach to STEM education and the Mobile Newton Room will provide an opportunity for secondary level students to visit the campus to learn in a new and exciting way. As a part of the program, a mix of DCU students from courses in Aviation, Science Education, and Physics will deliver the modules.
Fully booked
Schools who signed up for the Mobile Newton Room will spend a full day on DCU's Glasnevin campus. They will take part in two modules over the course of the day, including a rescue mission and completing a flight in professional-grade simulators. The rooms have been fully booked for several weeks.
All photos: Kyran O'Brien/DCU Communications Dept
Opening day
On May 4th, the room was officially opened with representatives from DCU, Boeing, FIRST Scandinavia, and the Irish Ministry of Education.
To kick off the event, Professor Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University, took Norma Foley, Minister for Education, and Sir Martin Donnelly, President of Boeing Europe, to the Mobile Newton Room where the Minister got to test her flight skills on the simulator.
Dr. Jean Hughes, Director of Strategic Initiatives for DCU, then welcomed all the guests and introduced the speakers.
“As Minister for Education, I am most appreciative for students to share in this innovative education experience, and to learn from it'' said Norma Foley, adding “it is a truly innovative classroom experience!”.
“International experience has shown the Boeing-backed Newton Room to be an extraordinarily engaging STEM learning experience for students, and DCU is excited to bring it to Ireland. The Newton Concept aligns closely with DCU’s innovative approach to STEM education, and complements our existing initiatives aimed at widening participation in these important subjects. We look forward to welcoming secondary school students and their teachers on campus to explore all that the Newton Room has to offer”, said Professor Keogh.
“With Newton, we aim to inspire and attract students around the world to STEM fields. What we are trying to accomplish is not rocket science, but we absolutely cannot do it without engaged and passionate partners,” said Alysia Tofflemire, Managing Director of NewtonRoom gGmbH in Berlin, “That’s what we are lucky enough to have in the DCU. Thank you to the whole team here; we look forward to more events in Ireland”.
At the end of the opening ceremony, everyone got to take a tour inside the portable classroom.
Continuing with Boeing
Boeing joined forces with FIRST Scandinavia in 2018, investing €4.5 million to set up an aviation-themed Newton network across Europe, benefiting thousands of students in places like France, Germany, Poland, and Spain.
Sir Martin Donnelly, president of Boeing Europe and managing director of Boeing UK and Ireland, said: “With our footprint in the region growing, Boeing is also committed to inspiring and developing the future generation of aviation and STEM experts across Europe. We can do this through our strong academic partnerships and it is wonderful to see Dublin City University and FIRST Scandinavia helping to bring this key learning tool to young people across Ireland.”
