Mullingar Students Explore Science at the Royal College of Surgeons

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As part of the ongoing work of local development company, Midlands Science, to promote science education in the Midlands, a group of transition year students from Lore to College, Mullingar recently visited The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the Centre for Systems Medicine (CSM) Research Labora tory. This event was co-ordinated by Dr Helena Bonner Scientific Liaison Officer CSM, RCSI and Ms Pauline Nally of Midlands Science.

Students were welcomed by Head Porter, Mr Frank Donegan who gave them a his torical tour of RCSI.
Other highlights from the day included students observing brain cancer cells under the microscope and learning about different forms of cancer. They also heard from our researchers about their projects including epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases. Students also received a lecture on how research has changed in recent years with a special focus on communication and collaborative skills, being an important aspect of the job.

Professor Jochen Prehn, Professor of Physiology and Medical Physics & Direc tor for the Centre for Systems Medicine, RCSI said, “I am delighted to welcome the students to RCSI and the CSM labora tories. Hopefully they got a real experience for what life is like for scientific researchers and perhaps it will lead to them considering a career in scientific research”.

Special thanks to the following researchers for volunteering to take part in this event: Dr Beatrice D’Orsi, Dr Catriona Dowling, Dr Teresa Moloney, Dr Isabela Aparicio and head porter Mr. Frank Donegan.

RCSI is ranked 46th in the world for ‘International Outlook’ and #251 – 300 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2015-2016). It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide.

Jackie Gorman, CEO of Midlands Science said, “We feel that a true understanding of science involves whole-life learning beyond the confines of any classroom. It is so important that when learning science it includes innovation, up to date resources, engagement and partnerships which enable the students to connect learning to actual real-world situations. With this in mind we place a strong emphasis on men toring from role models and champions in order to encourage and nurture curiosity about science and a visit like this is an ideal way to achieve this.”