(Left to right) Gabrielle Kenny; Minister of State for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock; Ruth Freeman, director of strategy and communications, Science Foundation Ireland; Arnas Satkunas; and Mia Flood
Across Ireland, 517 primary schools will receive the Discover Primary Science and Maths (DPSM) Award of Science and Maths Excellence for their promotion of the subjects to students.
Run through Science Foundation Ireland’s (SFI) Discover Programme, the DPSM award recipients must meet five criteria set out by SFI, including engaging in hands-on DPSM science and maths activities, visiting DPSM discover centres, and attending or hosting science events.
Minister of State for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock presented the schools with their award. Abbott Ireland is to also present the schools with a prize.
Hundreds of schools across Ireland have also participated in Greenwave, a nationwide project to track the advent of spring, as part of the award programme, with participating schools recently having submitted their log books for evaluation.
Sherlock said it is extremely encouraging to see so many schools embracing the DPSM programme, which is now in its 10th year.
“(DPSM is) an initiative which makes science and maths meaningful and accessible for children,” said Sherlock. “Not only are these children developing core skills in these subjects, but they are also learning many skills which will stand to them in later life, including critical thinking, analysing, estimating, measuring, fair testing and recording.”
Child at chalkboard image via Shutterstock
