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News 2022

Cork schools prepare for UCC Science Week event

28 Sep 2022
  • “Appetite for Knowledge” aimed at senior cycle secondary school students
  • Initiative aims to engage students on Food, Nutritional, and Agricultural Sciences projects, with prizes up for grabs

Sustainability, food security, and when processed food is bad for you are just three of the many topics Cork schools will discuss at the first annual “Appetite for Knowledge” event, which is seeing registrations come in thick and fast from the science communicators of tomorrow.

Hosted by University College Cork’s School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, “Appetite for Knowledge” is a science communications competition for secondary schools, specially designed to engage Transition Year and other Senior Cycle students.

The event will empower young people to work together in small groups of between two and four students to select a topic or challenge facing Food, Nutritional, and Agricultural Sciences, and give a presentation at the “Appetite for Knowledge” forum in UCC. Prizes will be awarded for the best presentations.

The competition will be held in UCC’s historic Aula Maxima on Thursday, November 10, will be judged by an external panel featuring subject experts and industry leaders, and will feature keynote talks from Food, Nutritional, and Agricultural experts based in UCC.

Professor Alan Kelly of UCC’s Dept of Food & Nutritional Sciences said the event is a fantastic opportunity for schools across Cork.

“We’ve been delighted to see the registrations received so far, and some of the topics up for discussion are sure to be thought-provoking. Initiatives such as “Appetite for Knowledge” are proved to be an engaging and novel approach to support the teaching of science in secondary schools. The feedback from educators has been positive, and we’re extending our registration deadline by a week to meet demand – so this is the last call for teachers to submit their school’s groups,” he said.

Funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme, this outreach initiative will support the core science curriculum by broadening young people’s exposure to food, nutritional and agricultural sciences, and by providing students with the opportunity for interactive, inquiry-based learning alongside their peers.

 

College of Science, Engineering and Food Science

Coláiste na hEolaíochta, na hInnealtóireachta agus na hEolaíochta Bia

Block E, Level 3, Food Science Building, UCC, Cork, T12 YN60.

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