Partnership with Cell EXPLORERS will increase reach in Ireland

Native Scientist has teamed up with Cell EXPLORERS to increase the reach and engagement with local communities in Galway, Ireland.

The Ireland-wide Cell EXPLORERS science outreach programme shares a common goal with Native Scientist: engaging the general public in science, with a special focus on children, and training scientists and students to communicate science to lay audiences. This common vision has brought the two organizations into a partnership that will be kicking off with the sponsorship of the French Embassy in Dublin and which will bring to life the Native Schools programme for the local French-speaking community.

Muriel Grenon, founding director of Cell EXPLORERS said: “Our programme has an interest in stimulating the love of science in younger children. Galway is a multicultural city and to reach bilingual children with engaging and exciting hands-on science in their native language makes total sense to us. The scientific population based at NUIGalway and GMIT is diverse and we are very excited to be able to offer French speaking scientists the opportunity to be involved in Native Scientist. We will consider expanding the workshops to other languages should there be interest in the scientific population based in Galway.”

Joana Moscoso, one of Native Scientist co-founders said: “This partnership will help implement the Native Scientist project in Galway, ensuring that both parties increase their reach and engagement with the local communities. It is an example of how two well-defined outreach projects can come together to enable STEM knowledge and careers. With the collaboration of our local coordinator, Sarah Berthaud, a researcher in the field of language acquisition and bilingualism, and with the support of the French Embassy in Ireland, we are very much looking forward to see this partnership flourish.”

Cell EXPLORERS is a science education and outreach programme based in the School of Natural Sciences in the National University of Ireland Galway. Their programme runs on a sustainable model where staff and students, on a voluntary basis or as part of their degree, are involved in public engagement. The goal is to promote hands-on discovery of molecular biology and demystify stereotypical perception of science and scientists. The programme, funded by NUIGalway and Science Foundation Ireland, includes a network of 10 partner teams of undergraduate students based in Irish Higher Education Institutions across Ireland.

Native Scientist is an award-winning Europe-wide non-profit organisation that develops and implements outreach and enrichment projects aimed at promoting science and language literacy. Founded in 2013, it reaches over 1000 pupils a year and counts with a network of 800+ international scientists.