Professor Veronica Campbell, President of SETU, addressed the audience at the 12th annual Kennedy Summer School festival in New Ross, Co. Wexford.
The annual festival, running from 29 to 31 August, aims to promote Irish and American history, culture, and politics. Prof. Campbell was among Irish and global leaders and experts in education, politics, diplomacy, journalism, social and economic development. The event’s aim is to promote intellectual discourse, cultural enrichment, and a sense of community.
STEM Panel
Prof. Campbell chaired the festival’s panel discussion entitled, ‘Schools STEM Event – Astro Physics’ at The Marquee at John F. Kennedy Arboretum. The discussion included contributions from Dr Ciarán Seoighe, Deputy Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI); Dr Aisling McEvoy, Head of Enterprise Partnerships at SFI; multi award-winning journalist, Ken Murray; and Dr Lisa Snodgrass, Associate Professor at Purdue University.
Over 300 Transition Year students from schools across Wexford were in attendance. The discussion was an excellent opportunity for them to hear from a variety of STEM experts from Ireland and USA.
STEM as a study pathway
On taking part in this year’s festival, Prof. Campbell said, “I’m thrilled to attend the Kennedy Summer School again this year, and I’m delighted to chair the discussion on STEM. Science, engineering, and technology are powerful tools that can be used to make the world a better place and must be harnessed to do so. As someone who studied pharmacology and biomedical science, I know first-hand the fulfilment of these areas of exploration. As we welcome so many of Wexford’s Transition Year students to the festival today, I hope you are all inspired to consider STEM when thinking about your future academic careers. Our panel of experts have given great food for thought discussing the final frontier and how what we are discovering today can be applied to the benefit of mankind.”
She continued, “I’d like to congratulate Kennedy Summer School organisers on another exciting, diverse, and enriching festival bringing great energy to our region. The festival’s ethos aligns strongly with SETU’s strategic objectives as we look to enhance the south east by making a difference to communities and industry, and by offering innovative higher education pathways to our young people.”
Fascinating topics
The STEM panellists focused on a range of fascinating topics. Dr Ciarán Seoighe and Dr Aisling McEvoy demonstrated why “astrophysics is a gateway drug to STEM”, discussing nebulae and planets, black holes and pulsars; Ken Murray recounted the story of John F. Mitchell, and the creation of the mobile phone; while Dr Lisa Snodgrass spoke about how AI will change the world of work.
A festival of Irish and American history
The Kennedy Summer School is a festival of Irish and American history, culture, and politics that was founded in 2012. The inaugural festival took place on 50th anniversary of the visit of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy to New Ross in 1963. It is now an annual event of talks, interviews, and presentations held in St Michael’s Theatre and in nearby venues.
For more information, visit kennedysummerschool.ie