STEAM & CRAFT

As the leading third-level institution in Ireland in the provision of programmes in the teaching of STEAM at primary and second level, MIC is committed to promoting STEAM amongst early years, primary and second level students, teachers, parents and the general public, through a wide range of outreach activities and events.

As well as a programme of interactive STEAM workshops on campus and in schools, E&CE at MIC plays an active role in organising activities for annual STEAM events, including Engineers Week, Space Week, Maths Week, as well as events for Culture Night and Limerick Lifelong Learning Festival.

MIC founded and manages the Limerick Festival of Science in collaboration with TUS and UL, in addition to founding and managing the Tipperary Festival of Science with TUS Thurles.

MIC is involved with STEAM outreach events at national level, including the RDS ESB Science Blast & Research Ireland's Curious Minds Programme.

The CRAFT (Creative Arts, Future Technologies) Maker Space at MIC is a dynamic and interactive public exhibition and workshop space, which allows for the fusion of the creative arts and STEM education through a variety of activities focusing on building creativity, innovation and STEAM skills for life.

These STEAM activities aim to reach a wide range of audiences including schools, families, young people and adults, through accessible and inclusive opportunities to engage with STEM experiences that are fun, engaging and inspire curiosity.

The CRAFT Maker Space on the MIC campus, is the first of its kind in the mid-west region of Ireland. More information on our STEAM outreach, STEAM educational resources and the CRAFT Maker Space can be found on the CRAFT Maker Space website here.

Additionally a range of CRAFT STEAM resources can be found here. These activity packs, ideal for at home or group work in the classroom, aim to engage children in STEAM by setting a number of challenges for children to find solutions to and overcome.

MIC manages various science, technology , engineering and maths initiatives for children, often in conjunction with industry. One such initiative is the VEX IQ Robotics Programme.

MIC, in partnership with DELL Technologies and supported by the Irish American Partnership, deliver the VEX IQ Robotics programme to primary schools across the Mid-West region. The VEX Robotics Challenge calls on students and teachers to work in teams to design, build and programme a robot to carry out set challenges.  More information on the VEX Robotics Programme and other initiatives can be found here.

During the summer, MIC offer Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses in conjunction with Limerick Education Centre for teachers in VEX Robotics as well as in STEAM and Numeracy. More details on CPD summer courses offered by MIC can be found on the Faculty of Education's page here.