The Centre for Advanced Photonics & Process Analysis (CAPPA) was delighted to recently host a Transition Year STEM week from 1st to the 5th of February 2021. The event consisted of a series of online talks and interactive seminars across a variety of STEM topics. There was over 40 students involved throughout the week with nine schools participating from around the country. Throughout the week, there was a variety of interactive talks and presentations from members of CAPPA as well as Blackrock Castle Observatory, Department of Mathematics at MTU Cork, the Department of Chemistry and Physics at MTU Cork and Tyndall National Institute.
Twenty different MTU staff members contributed to this event covering topics such as:
- Maths
- Astronomy
- Physics in everyday life – COVID -19 research
- Physics in medical device
- Careers in physics
- Chemistry
- Nanophotonics
The week began with an overview of CAPPA and an interactive maths workshop. On the second day, there was an overview of astronomy, careers in astronomy and a specific focus on the use of astronomy and physics in everyday life focusing on the recent research by CAPPA and Blackrock Castle Observatory on the effectiveness of masks in the spread against COVID-19. The following day focused on an overview of physics including the use of physics in medical devices, careers in physics and a tour of the nanophotonics labs in CAPPA. The final day consisted of an overview of nanophotonics, a tour of the chemistry labs and an interactive workshop on how physics and chemistry help us to quantify tiny to huge. The week concluded with students presentations from each school highlighting what the students had learnt throughout the week.
You can view some of the talks that took place during the event on the CAPPA YouTube channel here.