Taken from
Armagh Observatory Press Release: Pupils from two schools in Armagh won eight of the
prizes of the national astronomy competition run by the Irish Astronomical Association as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. To celebrate this achievement, a prize award ceremony was held on Friday 16th of April in Mount St Catherine's Primary School, Armagh.
James Leetch and Edie Mea McCarthey from the Royal School Armagh won first prizes in the intermediate and junior art category of the "Space and Aliens Astronomy Competition". Orlaith O'Halloran, Kaneesha O'Hara, Emma Murtagh, Dylan McCann and Paulina Harabin from Mount St Catherine's Primary School Armagh were winners in junior categories of art, essays and poetry.
This competition, and the associated International Year of Astronomy activities during 2009, have been supported by the Republic of Ireland's "Discover Science and Engineering" programme.
Terry Moseley from the Irish Astronomical Association, one of the leading figures in amateur astronomy in Ireland, Miruna Popescu of Armagh Observatory, coordinator of the International Year of Astronomy, Irish national node, and Peter Gildea, Principal of Mount St Catherine's School Armagh, were the main organizers of the event.
Joan Shine, adviser for science with the Southern Education and Library Board, and Breda Naughton, principal officer in the Department of Education and Science's Integration Unit, were invited as special guests to the ceremony.
The Armagh Rhymers, who also kindly accepted the invitation, showcased, together with some of the pupils from Mount St Catherine's school, some of the astronomy songs that form part of their new repertoire. Their songs are the start of a new project called OASES, in which, together with Miruna Popescu, they use astronomy as a way of bringing people together "under the selfsame sky".
OASES, a peace and reconciliation project supported by the European Union through the Southern Cluster Partnership, is also part of UNAWE (Universe Awareness for Young Children), an international outreach activity that inspires young disadvantaged children with the beauty and grandeur of the Universe.
Congratulations to Armstrong Primary School in Armagh who were the winners of the Final held in the Odyssey Pavilion, Belfast on Monday 21st June. Together with Our Lady's Primary School Tullysaran, Richmount Primary School, Roan St Patrick's Primary School and St Mary's Primary Banbridge they represented our SELB area schools.
Taken from Armagh Observatory Press Release: Pupils from two schools in Armagh won eight of the prizes of the national astronomy competition run by the Irish Astronomical Association as part of the International Year of Astronomy 2009. To celebrate this achievement, a prize award ceremony was held on Friday 16th of April in Mount St Catherine's Primary School, Armagh.
Day 4 of the Regional Induction Programme for Beginning Teachers of science took place at the Killowen Outdoor Education Centre, Rostrevor on 15th April 2010.
Over 50 primary schools took part in the annual Primary STEM Challenge at a number of venues in the SELB Board area over a four day period. This year’s Challenge was the construction of an operational windmill capable of rotating into the wind, using the range of materials provided.
This year’s ASE Annual Conference was held amid the snow and ice of a chilly Nottingham from the 5th-9th January. The University of Nottingham campus hosted a wide ranging programme of continuing professional development with a large choice of events across all student age ranges and aspects of science education.
The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It includes the whole of the natural world and is essential for sustaining the natural living systems that provide us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and other vital services. Biodiversity enriches our lives in so many ways, that we often take it for granted. It has shaped our culture, our traditions and societies. It is the basis of economy and trade, it provides services essential to human well-being such as climate control, pollination, flood protection, and so many others. If the current loss of biodiversity continues, we will not only be poorer, in every sense of the word, but our very existence will be threatened.
STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Bursary funding programme available during 2010-11. The funding will be made available to individual teachers wishing to undertake professional activities relating to the NI Curriculum. The closing date for applications is Monday 1st March 2010.
