ReelLIFE SCIENCE
Primary and Second Level Schools STEM Competition
This experiential and community engaged opportunity connects with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- 4 - Quality Education
- 10 - Reduced Inequalities
- 17 - Partnership for the Goals
After being awarded €500 through winning ‘I’m a Scientist Get Me Out of Here’, an online science engagement project that allows scientists to connect with students all over Ireland, Dr. Enda O’Connell, a Senior Technical Officer at the NUI Galway College of Science and Engineering, decided to give back to the wider community through STEM engagement opportunities. Using this award and a subsequent EXPLORE staff-student award, Enda pioneered ReelLIFE SCIENCE in 2013 as a competition for primary and secondary schools in Galway to produce a video based on STEM. These videos were submitted on DVDs and judged by volunteers based on scientific content, production values and x-factor.
Having had good success in that initial year, Enda then received funding from the Science Foundation Discover Programme, to expand and open up the competition to all schools across Ireland. As ReelLIFE SCIENCE grew, so did financial and collaborative support and in the main the competition is funded by Science Foundation Ireland, with support also offered form other University STEM and engagement related initiatives including the Community Knowledge Initiative, CÚRAM, Cell EXPLORERS, and the Galway Science and Technology Festival.
Enda in more recent years has expanded ReelLIFE SCIENCE to reach out to other communities, and the programme has had engagement from youth organisations and community partners such as Foróige, Youth Work Ireland, and Galway Parkinson’s Association. ReelLIFE SCIENCE now also provides training in video production for youth workers in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, to develop their skills and enable them to encourage young people to engage with STEM through video.
Since 2013, the programme has had over 16,000 participants in 500 schools and youth organisations in 31 counties across Ireland. The participants have created over 1,700 short science-based videos with over 400,000 views worldwide. €30,000 has been awarded to the winning schools and community based organisations. The feedback from participants, teachers and youth workers has been wholly positive and made an enormous impact.
"Our TY students all made videos and we felt the project contributed to skill development and pupil enjoyment of science. The TY coordinator commented afterward of how proud the students themselves were of their videos - It was lovely to see. It was a great opportunity for students who can struggle with literacy in conventional projects to produce something they were proud to show others’’
“ReelLIFE SCIENCE makes me a lot more interested in science. Maybe in the future I will become the world's greatest scientist all due to this competition.”
In addition, 80-100 NUI Galway staff and students annually volunteer to judge the enormous number of videos submitted. The programme is promoted through the CKI ALIVE Volunteer Programme and is open to undergraduate and postgraduate students. Some of these volunteers are also trained to engage directly with youth groups, to offer workshops on video production and to brainstorm ideas for potential videos. They aim to encourage people to enter the competition and help them find the science in everyday life. ReelLIFE SCIENCE aims to promote self-directed learning and a love of science. It has been an excellent programme to develop relationships between NUI Galway students, staff and the wider commutiy to share and enjoy STEM related knowledge. Over the years the competition winners have been adjudicated by high profile STEM celebrities including the Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain and the NASA Astronaut Cmdr. Chris Hadfield.
Annually at the Galway Science and Technology Festival, the winners, teachers and families are invited to NUI Galway where they are presented with their awards and to see their videos being screened for the public on the big screen. This is the real highlight of the year and Enda reflects that you really see the children take pride in their achievements and marvel at the science and technology featured at the exhibition. Enda says his main goal is to raise science capital, creating a familiarity of science and helping people realise that “science is everywhere, it’s in everything we do”.
Email: reellifescience@nuigalway.ie
Website: www.reellifescience.com
Twitter: @ReelLifeScience
Instagram: @ReelLifeScience
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/reellifescience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReelLifeScience
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