2024 STInt Graduation takes place

25 of the 2024 interns attended the event to receive their certificate of completion, educational resources and to say a final goodbye to their peers who are teaching and learning all over the country. Although the programme is a DCU based initiative, we are partnered with six other national universities including University of Galway (UG), University College Cork (UCC), University of Limerick (UL), University College Dublin (UCD), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), and Maynooth University (MU). 

The ceremony began with an opening statement from the STInt Programme Director and Associate Professor in the School of Physical Sciences, Eilish McLoughlin, who provided an overview of STInt, objectives of the initiative, and key learning. 

Conor McGrath from UCD, Katya Lawlor from DCU and David Swift from MU also spoke, summarising their experience in the programme. Conor shared that as an in-service teacher, his internship at APC reconnected him with chemistry in the lab and allowed him to make long-lasting industry connections. He has already started planning for scientists from APC to speak to his second level students, and is arranging a field trip to their company. 

Katya shared that although she has recently achieved a Bachelor of Education degree with a specialism in Mathematics, she actually struggled with maths as a child. With persistence she managed to excel in the subject and now wishes to encourage all to find ways that maths can be applied in everyday life, and be proud of where maths skills can be used. Her internship at IBM widened her understanding of what STEM is and furthered her goal as a maths advocate teaching primary level learners.

David Swift also shared his experience with the programme and his summer internship with SUIR Engineering, in the form of a poem. 

Dublin City University President, Prof Daire Keogh, addressed the graduation ceremony, and highlighted how much the programme has grown since beginning in 2016, noting the estimated 1.2 million second level students our interns will impact throughout their teaching careers, and the ability to have a targeted positive influence on girls by encouraging the pursuit of STEM interests and careers. 

Multiple host company representatives were present for the event, including Nora Kele from Sanofi, George Brown and Shalini Hollingum from Accenture, Jennifer McKenna from Intel and Jane Bruno from IBM. Jane shared a few words about her experience managing STInt interns, the amazing support they offered for multiple departments, the various perspectives they provide to the usage of generative AI at IBM and the increased ability to connect with the local schools. 

The ceremony concluded with powerful words from DCU’s Executive Dean of the Institute of Education, Prof Anne Looney. She acknowledged that the Irish education industry attracts the most engaged, intelligent, and talented individuals in academia. However, the programme challenges educators by placing them in unfamiliar environments, sometimes without a STInt counterpart, and asks them to apply technical STEM skills, think outside of the box and question their own understanding of STEM. Prof Looney expressed how she sees the confidence teachers gain after their internships, and how inspired they are to find Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths in all professional pursuits. 

The STEM Teacher Internship Programme is a national initiative that offers paid summer internships to preservice and early-career teachers in Ireland. The STInt team and university partners are recruiting teachers for the 2025 summer internship, and our industry personnel are confirming host company engagement for the following year. If you are interested in taking part, please register your interest here.  

STInt is currently supported by the Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTeL), Skillnet Ireland, Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Education, Intel Ireland, 30% Club Ireland, and Connecting Women in Technology (CWiT). To learn more about STInt please visit our website and follow us on X, on Linkedin and on YouTube.