Fossils for our Future-Ireland's palaeontology participation programme
Year Awarded
2022
Amount
€48,831
- Organisation:University College Cork (UCC)
- Audience:General Public
- Format:Informal Education
- Location:Clare, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Waterford, Wexford
- Topic:Science
Project Summary
The Fossils for our Future project will leverage the inherent public fascination with palaeontology to deliver once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on STEM experiences tailored to communities of older persons. The project core is a fossil preparation citizen science programme. It will help spark new interest in science by providing at least 150 voluntary participants the means to uncover the history of life on Earth with their own hands. The authentic fossils previously collected from Irish and overseas field sites reveal how plants and animals respond to climate changes, with clear implications for our presently warming world. The participants of this programme will:
(1) enhance a broad range of transferrable skills (e.g., database management, photography);
(2) obtain modern scientific skills (e.g., curation, microscopy, 3-D modelling);
(3) connect with a network of like-minded STEM enthusiasts and professionals;
(4) access opportunities to communicate science directly with the public via engagement events; and
(5) receive guidance to new pathways for lifelong learning at UCC.
Through repeated application of modern scientific methods, participants will become STEM advocates in their respective communities, with a newly developed understanding of climate change consequences. Qualitative and quantitative impact evaluations will be on a continual basis and at predetermined landmark events. Evaluations include targeted audience engagement to facilitate co-creation prior to the project, analysis of interactions with specifically created online content, surveys and publications in science communication journals. This project will inspire curiosity in our deep past, and science in general, by providing profound engagement experiences for communities not typically involved with STEM.