Stryker & I-Form Win Primary Education Award at STEM South West Awards
Stryker, a global leader in medical technologies, was announced as the Primary Education winner at the inaugural STEM South West awards held at Cork County Hall on Thursday, November 21st. This award was in recognition of its successful, innovative partnership with I-Form, the Research Foundation Ireland Centre for Advanced Manufacturing.
The programme, called "Manufacturing a Healthy Future", is an initiative inspired by a shared desire to spark an interest in STEM from an early age through excitement, fun and learning.
This initiative by Stryker and I-Form aims to connect with children at an early age, create training materials for primary teachers in 3D printing and design, and provide 3D printers to schools so students can gain hands-on experience using this cutting-edge technology.
To bring this programme to life, Stryker and I-Form scientists and engineers provided technical support to teachers, judged the entries of the associated national 3D printing competitions, and donated equipment and 3D printers to participating schools. Stryker and I-Form have also hosted national and European showcase events with the schools and welcomed several groups of students and teachers on-site for tours of Stryker's state-of-the-art facilities.
Mag O'Keeffe, VP of Global Additive Technologies at Stryker, said "Stryker recognises the importance of taking an innovative and creative approach to STEM education. By encouraging students to use their imagination and spark creativity in a fun way, Manufacturing a Healthy Future provides a clear example of how this can be achieved. I'm delighted that STEM South West has recognised our efforts in creating this partnership with I-Form".
Professor Denis Dowling, Director of the I-Form Research Centre, emphasised the importance of the programme: "Manufacturing a Healthy Future is a really successful programme offering students the opportunity to learn about and gain first-hand experience with 3D printing technology in a fun and creative environment. We're honoured to receive this award with Stryker at STEM South West's inaugural ceremony."
Photo; germac.ie
L - R Michael Golden, Communications and Public Engagement Office, I-Form; Martin Boyle, Senior Director, Small Molecule & Peptides Engineering Eli Lilly; DR. Tríona Kennedy, Senior Research Manager Stryker.
