Limerick primary schools gifted 3D printers through STEM initiative

FIVE Limerick primary schools have been donated 3D printers by global medical technology corporation Stryker.

Teachers from the schools were provided with a three-day training course on incorporating 3D printing learning into classroom environments, hosted by I-Form, the SFI Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing based in UCD.

Stryker's high-tech manufacturing facility in Limerick provided the training, which hopes to empower educators with STEM skills and inspire Ireland’s next generation of young engineers.

The Limerick primary schools which participated in the course and received the 3D printers were Our Lady’s Abbey and Scoil Naomh Iósaf, Adare, Ballymartin NS and St Mary’s NS, Croom, and Catherine McAuley Special School, as well as Cork school Scoil Chlochair Mhuire.

The aim of the programme is that the donations of the 3D printers and the corresponding training will enable the schools to enhance STEM learning within their classrooms from the new school year. 

READ MORE: University of Limerick researchers find robot solution for wind farm maintenance

Stryker and I-Form have partnered to support STEM and manufacturing education in primary schools across Limerick through the 'Manufacturing a Healthy Future' programme. 

78 teachers and over 1,300 pupils in Ireland have participated in the programme so far. 

The Manufacturing a Healthy Future programme is part of a European funded programme by EIT-Manufacturing, and provides STEM learning for teachers and pupils in schools across Europe.

Professor Denis Dowling, director of the I-Form Research Centre, said “One of the key outcomes of this EIT funded programme is that through the use of 3D printing, primary school pupils see first-hand the practical benefits of a manufacturing technology. This will hopefully encourage them to consider science subjects as they enter secondary school”.

Mag O’Keeffe, VP of Global Additive Technologies at Stryker, said, “It is impressive how dedicated these teachers are, giving their time during the summer break to learn new skills and spark an interest in STEM subjects in Limerick’s classrooms. Over the past three years, this program has gone from strength to strength, and the feedback from the students emphasises the importance and value of giving children hands-on STEM education in the classroom at an early age”.