Explorers Marine Education Programme Visits Cork's Lifetime Lab

21st March 2015

#MarineScience - Over 900 primary school students got to experience the wonders of the Irish marine environment at the Lifetime Lab in Cork where they participated in the Explorers Education Programme workshops from 2 to 13 March.

The pupils learned about marine animals and plants living in Irish waters. They also took part in water experiments involving water pressure, the power of the sea, making submarines and periscopes, as well as learning about the Real Map of Ireland, showing Ireland's marine territory and resources.

Lifetime Lab manager Mervyn Horgan said: "We are delighted to partner with the Marine Institute for the Explorers series of workshops, as we are always looking for new and innovative ways of engaging students in science education. Raising the awareness of marine science to Cork classrooms can only bring long-term benefits.

"We perceive the Lifetime Lab as an extra classroom for every school in the city and county, a science nursery for institutions whose high level graduates ensure that Cork has a well educated and highly skilled workforce long into the future."

Cushla Dromgool-Regan of the Marine Institite added that the Explorers programme "focuses on Ireland's two greatest resources – our young people and our vast marine territory.

"Inspiring students' interest in marine through the Explorers programme, teachers are able to easily include marine themed lessons based on the Irish curriculum already taught in national schools.

"Ireland is on its journey of realising the benefits of a thriving marine sector, and by engaging students interest in marine at a young age, we hope it will encourage them to consider some of the exciting wide range of careers in the marine - especially through some of Ireland's modern marine research centres around the country."

The Explorers Education Programme brings the excitement of the sea into the classroom and has already been successfully rolled out to some 12 schools in the greater Dublin and Wicklow area as well as reaching 90 primary schools in the West of Ireland in Mayo, Galway, Clare and Sligo during the 2014/15 school year. The Cork project is a collaborative effort between the Marine Institute, Galway Atlantaquaria and Lifetime Lab.

Further information and lesson plans are available at website at www.explorers.ie. For information about Explorers workshops, contact Lifetime Lab 021 494 1500 or www.lifetimelab.ie.

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MacDara Conroy

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MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

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