The Marine Institute here in Galway recently played host to a group of enquiring TY students in a visit meant to encourage young women to explore a future in the sciences.
The students from Roscommon Convent of Mercy toured the Marine Institute and its state of the art facilities in Oranmore, and heard from staff specialists about potential careers in marine science.
A number of female scientists and staff from the Marine Institute spoke to the 30 transition year students about working in fisheries science, marine chemistry, data and applications management among the many fields which are involved in ocean science.
Dr Peter Heffernan, CEO of the Marine Institute, said that 70% of the women employed there work in science and research including oceanography, fisheries ecosystems and advisory roles, marine environment and food safety.
“We aim to inspire a new generation of marine professionals and encourage awareness of the diverse careers in the marine that can be unlocked by studying subjects in science, technology and engineering.”
“Highly qualified and skilled professionals are needed across a wide range of marine areas, to harness our ocean wealth and sustainably grow Ireland’s ocean economy,” Dr Heffernan added.
Scientists and staff shared their passion and insights from working in the marine sector with the students, discussing the projects that they are currently working on and how they impact our lives.
Projects such as the Ireland-Wales EU Interreg Project, BlueFish, which aims to improve our understanding of marine resources and the potential impacts of climate change in the Irish and Celtic Sea ecosystem.
The students also spoke with scientists about recent seabed mapping surveys and the discovery of a very rare shark nursery in Ireland’s deep ocean territory.
Encouraging a new generation to pursue marine and maritime careers, is an initiative of the Marine Institute’s Strategic Plan 2018-2022: Building Ocean Knowledge, Delivering Ocean Services.
The Institute runs a week-long, full-time work experience programme for TY students each year, and information about the application process for the next programme in 2020 will be made available later this year.
