Teacher Showcase 2019


Register now!

Registration is now open for this free event. Please register using the following link

The SOPHia project is hosting a one day showcase event aimed at supporting teachers to encourage diversity in physics.
The event will take place in the University of Limerick on Saturday, November 23rd 2019.

  • The workshop is aimed at
    • primary teachers
    • post-primary teachers who teach physics, but may not be specialists
    • JC Science teachers
    • physics teachers
    • career guidance teachers
    • student teachers
  • The Institute of Physics in Ireland (IOPI), industry representatives, UL physicists and STEM champions will exhibit and give talks about how teachers can act to encourage females, and males, to consider physics as a subject and career option.
  • A toolkit for supporting female students in physics for teachers will be provided for participants.
  • Lunch and refreshments will be provided for participants on the day

Speakers and workshops for the Teacher Showcase, Analogue Devices Building, University of Limerick, Saturday November 23rd

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to get some tips and ideas to encourage more young people to take up physics and for supporting diversity in physics! It is also a great opportunity to learn about the careers and opportunities that physics opens up.

The Showcase will begin at 10am until 3.30pm. Coffees and lunches are provided for all attendees. It will feature teacher, educator, industry and research perspectives on promoting diversity in physics. There will also be exhibitors. 

Programme for the Teacher Showcase

Speaker Biographies

Merrilyn Goos is Professor of STEM Education and Director of EPI*STEM, the national Centre for STEM Education at the University of Limerick. She is an internationally recognized mathematics educator whose research is well known for its strong focus on classroom practice. She has won national awards for excellence in research and university teaching, and she is currently leading three Irish and international research projects that address gender equity in STEM education. Merrilyn is also Vice-President of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, a worldwide organisation devoted to research and development in mathematics education at all levels.

Susan Daly is currently Smart 4.0 Programme Manager in CONFIRM–the national research centre for smart manufacturing. She has a wealth of experience spanning both academia and industry. Over the last 10+ years, she has enjoyed an evolving and expanding repertoire of skills in areas such as NPD, research strategy, cross-functional project/program management, and has held roles of increasing scope and responsibility (EMEA, US) in life science businesses, addressing both research and regulated markets. Susan holds a BSc. in Applied Physics and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Optics and Optical Coherence Tomography.

Karen Doyle is a Senior Engineering Manager at Intel in Shannon and has over 20 years of experience in the Network/Telecom industry. She is a founding member of the Intel Women in Technology Scholarship program which has been supporting female technology students for 14 years and is the coordinator of Intels STEM outreach activities in the Mid-West Region.

Dr. Eilish McLoughlin is an Associate Professor of Physics at Dublin City University, Deputy Head of the School of Physical Sciences and Director of the Research Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTeL). She obtained her PhD in Experimental Surface Physics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and a Chartered Physicist. Her research interests focus on Physics Education, including the development of curriculum, instruction and assessment models in STEM education, at all levels of education, from primary school to PhD level. Eilish believes passionately that science is for everybody and has led several large scale national initiatives to widen participation in STEM including Physics Busking, Science on Stage, Improving Gender Balance and the STEM Teacher Internship. She has played a leading role in several major pan-European projects focussed on STEM teacher education – including Coordinator FP7 ESTABLISH project (2010-2014) and deputy Coordinator FP7 SAILS project (2012-2015), National Coordinator of the H2020 Open Schools for Open Societies project (2017-2020), PI on Erasmus+ Three Dimensions of Inquiry in Physics Education (3DIPhE) (2017-2020) and PI on the Interreg ENERGE project (2018-2021). She has served as an advisor to the EU H2020 Science with and for Society Working Group (2014-2019) and an expert evaluator of the EU FP7 Science in Society programme (2008). She has served as a member of several international boards in science education, including IUPAP Commisison for Physics Education, European Science Education Research Association, Science on Stage Europe and is current co-chair of the Institute of Physics (IOP) in Ireland Education group. She has received recognition for her leadership in STEM education and engagement across formal and informal contexts: including the Institute of Physics Lise Meitner Medal (2018), Dublin City University’s President Award for Engagement (2017), NAIRTL National Award for Teaching Excellence (2010), Institute of Physics Young Professional Physicist of the Year (2006) and Dublin City University’s President Award for Teaching and Learning (2005).  

Yvonne Kavanagh is the Assistant Registrar in the Institute of Technology Carlow.  She is a Chartered Physicist, and currently Chair of the Institute of Physics Ireland and a member of the Materials Research Society (MRS) Sustainability Taskforce. She is a member of the Institute of Technology Carlow Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group and was a member of the National Organising Committee for the 10th European Conference for Gender Equality in Higher Education (TCD 2018). Yvonne has over 20 years lecturing experience in areas from pure Physics to Electronics.  She pioneered Physical Physics as an active learning approach to engage students and has developed an MRS based Impact of Materials on Society programme to suit second level students. She was also a team lead of successful Teaching & Learning (T&L) Forum funded projects which included Live and Learn in Ireland, led by IT Tralee which developed the www.liveandlearninireland.org website and Technology Enhanced Assessment Methods (TEAM) which focused on using technology in Science and Health laboratory assessment (www.teamshp.ie.) Yvonne previously worked in Industry for Hughes-JVC and Bio-Rad in various scientific roles and her research interests and include sol-gel deposition of thin films. For her work in this area she was awarded the  R. F. Bunshah Award.  

Vincent Casey is the founding head of Physics at UL, former Chair of the Institute of Physics in Ireland, currently senior lecturer in Solid State Physics, UL, Director UL Science Learning Centre and recently newbee beekeeper.

Pauline Walsh: Former I.T. teacher in Youthreach from where I returned to study organic growing and sustainable development in 2006 where bees and I began a journey. 

Intermediate level Beekeeping.  

Founder member of 3 counties beekeeping association 2016 

Member and national fundraiser of Native Irish honey bees Society 

Member and secretary of Galtee Bee Breeders Group. 

Founder member of Irish Beekeeping Association C.L.G. 2017 

A lot learned but so much more to know as bees continue to share their lives with me.

Ursel Bangert is Bernal Chair in Microscopy and Imaging at the University of Limerick, following positions of Reader and Lecturer at the Universities of Manchester and Surrey, and a career of more than 30 years in the area of electron microscopy.

Gráinne Walshe is project lead for the SOPHia project. She is the manager of the Science Learning Centre at UL, and teaches physics to undergrads. She is a member of the Institute of Physics Higher Education Group committee. She is involved in research into promoting physics and gender diversity, and into curriculum development for STEM integration. She is a member of the Leaving Certificate Physics curriculum development group.