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The University of Galway has been awarded funding for two projects meant to get people engaged with STEM topics and foster diversity.
Ministers Simon Harris and Norma Foley have today announced a total of €6 million in funding for 40 projects to empower diversity and inclusion in STEM.
SFI Discover Programme awardees will be encouraged to use the funding to build connections with less-represented voices, or with those who would not typically engage with STEM.
University of Galway has been awarded €49,195 in funding for the ‘Immersive Empathy: Using Immersive Technologies to Narrate Community Challenges’ project.
Led by the university’s Moore Institute working the Galway Simon Community, Immersive Empathy aims to produce VR and Augmented Reality experiences that can capture and convey the experience of homelessness.
The immersive experiences, created from the perspective of those who have experienced homelessness, will be used for training of service providers and to increase awareness and empathy amongst the general public.
The university has also been allocated €35,000 to support the ReelLIFE SCIENCE Video Competition.
ReelLIFE SCIENCE is a national short film competition, where primary and secondary school students create videos explaining a STEM topic of their choice simply and engagingly.
Speaking today, Minister Simon Harris said “The SFI Discover Programme aims to stimulate an open and inclusive conversation on STEM, empowering participation and growing talent, with the aim of ensuring everyone can bring forward ideas and solutions for our society.”
He added that the projects being funded today will help those who have not considered the “endless opportunities” open to them.
“I look forward to seeing the results and achievements of these projects, and I have no doubt they will help inspire many people to pursue careers and studies in STEM.”
