STEM@UNIVERSI-TY is an online STEM immersion programme for Transition Year Students. Students of STEM@UNIVERSI-TY Online will participate in a series of four, six-week modules and live webinar sessions online every Thursday from 5pm-6.15pm. The programme commences on the 7th November. Each module will include an optional one day on campus in Trinity University working with leading educators and university faculty in laboratories and on projects and explore cutting-edge research and acquire newfound knowledge to practical challenges. All modules are carefully curated and at first year college level standard. All students will have access to college lectures, attend live webinars, prepare, and submit assignments, receive feedback, mentoring and have a final exam.

Lectures will include four modules in Physics, Design Engineering, Computer Science and Astronomy. Timetable, further information, and application details available at: www.tcd.ie/waltonclub/ty.php.

The Department of Botany hosts transition year students for a week-long structured work experience programme. Students have the chance to experience what happens behind the scenes in an active research environment, working alongside technical staff, PhD students and professional scientific researchers. In addition to working at the Trinity Botanic Gardens, students have the chance to extract DNA in the molecular laboratory, to examine plant/animal interactions, to examine seed germination and storage using the Irish endangered plant seed-bank, to measure, in the field, critical environmental parameters and to work in the internationally important Herbarium. In addition, transition year students will meet with staff and attend presentations.

The School of Chemistry hosts a week-long programme aimed at transition-year students. The programme involves a series of lectures, practical work and interactive tours of the facilities in Chemistry and CRANN. This course offers a unique opportunity for interaction with students from different schools and for hands-on exposure to advanced methodology in world-class laboratories.

The School of Computer Science and Statistics runs week-long workshops for transition year students who have an interest in studying a Computer science or Engineering-related subject at 3rd level. These workshops provide a unique learning space where students work together in teams on a series of technical projects with both hardware and software components which can include: building and programming robots, animation, game design and web design. These workshops also provide an insight into the third level environment with lots of interaction between students and staff.

CRANN is Trinity’s largest research institute. It hosts the AMBER centre, Ireland’s leading materials science centre and offers two ’Exploring Materials’ weeks for TY students yearly, one in spring and one in autumn. We typically take 15 students each week from different schools around the country. Students learn about the basics of materials science with special emphasis placed on nanomaterials. Over the week the TY students visit PhD researchers in their labs, both in CRANN and also at RCSI, St James’s Hospital and at our Advanced Microscopy Laboratory where they get to see advanced electron microscopes. Students also learn about how AMBER works with industry partners, e.g. Intel, and about the commercialisation of research.

The School of Nursing and Midwifery runs a one-week programme for transition year students, taking in approximately 50 students each year. The students will spend three days of the five days in a classroom setting in our building on D’Olier Street and on the Trinity College campus, where they will learn about the professions of nursing and midwifery from our lecturers, students and clinical colleagues. In addition, there will be presentations on the services and supports provided for students of Trinity College. The other two days of the programme will be based in our clinical skills labs and teaching rooms in St James’s Hospital, Dublin 8. The programme runs in April each year.

The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences offers placements for transition year students every year. Placements are possible in October/November and February/March, and are restricted to two students per week. A range of activities with our pharmacy students are available to TY students, including a tour of the facilities, attending lectures, seminars, workshops and practicals.

The School of Physics hosts a number of popular outreach events throughout the academic year. Our Transition Year Physics Experience (TYPE) is a 3-day event held in Springtime and introduces students to a range of subjects including nanophysics, electricity, optics and astrophysics. Schools can submit their information in our expression of interest form and they will be contacted in the New Year with further information.

The Department of Zoology offers a week-long structured programme to transition year students. The programme will introduce you to what it is like to be an undergraduate, and will give insight into what a trained zoologist does. Among many other activities designed to let you experience the huge breadth of zoology, you will get hands-on experience in wildlife monitoring, physiology, parasitology, behavioural ecology and marine and freshwater biology. You will meet and chat with technical staff, PhD students and professional scientific researchers, learn to evaluate and write blogs and even make a video with your classmates. See further information and get the application form.