Access Department
U&Access DCUAccess Department Newsletter | March 2013
DCUSS&D
Access graduate Rebecca Townsend has won DCU’s 2012
Chancellor’s Medal for her outstanding achievements in both the
academic and extra-curricular spheres. The Chancellor’s Medal is
the highest award the University can bestow on an undergraduate
student. Speaking following the graduation ceremony Rebecca
said: “I feel that the Chancellor’s Award was recognition of
everything I achieved in DCU in both academic and extra-curricular
terms; it really was the pinnacle of my time in DCU. I could not
have done this without the assistance and support of the Access
Service; in fact, I would never have been in DCU without it. The
Award takes pride of place in my home. I have since been awarded
an Access Scholarship to the Law Library to study for my law exams
– thank you Access Service”. Rebecca graduated from the Bachelor
of Civil Law and Society course on November 6, 2012, with a first-
class honours degree. During her time as an Access Scholar in DCU,
Rebecca has been involved in a host of DCU sporting clubs. She was
also a volunteer for children’s charity CARI (Children at Risk in
Ireland), in addition to co-founding the DCU Free Legal Advice
Centre (FLAC). On behalf of all staff and students in DCU Access,
congratulations Rebecca and every best wish for continued success
in the years ahead!
Access graduate scoops top award
Chancellor’s Medal recipient Rebecca Townsend is pictured with DCUChancellor Senator Martin McAleese (left) and DCU President Professor Brian McCraith.
WelcomeWelcome to the 2013 edition of U&Access DCU, and another
action-packed year with DCU’s multi-award winning Access
Service. We are delighted to bring you the very latest news on
DCU’s outreach initiatives in North Dublin, an update on the
progression and achievements of DCU Access Scholars, and of
course a word from our alumni.
This year over 6,000 primary and secondary school students
registered on a range of initiatives, from maths and science after
school programmes, to courses in computing and accounting,
workshops in personal and professional development, and training
in sport, finance, entrepreneurship and civic engagement.
In 2012, numbers of undergraduate Access entrants to DCU were
at an all-time high, with the institutional target of 10% realised in
2012 – two years ahead of target – with just under 600 Access
Scholars now studying at DCU. Despite the surge in undergraduate
numbers, however, the academic performance of Access Scholars
remains high, with 97% of 2012 Access alumni achieving a first- or
second-class honours degree.
2012 has been an extraordinary year for student accomplishments
in both the academic and extra-curricular domains. Rebecca
Townsend, Access graduate in Law and Government, won DCU’s
highly coveted Chancellor’s Medal, while Abdul Ali Hassan, a final
year Access student from the School of Mechanical and
Manufacturing Engineering, won the Barnardos Nationwide
Helping Hands Young Volunteer Award.
Many thanks as always to our corporate supporters, to our
community partners, to all staff and students at DCU, and to the
many local teachers and guidance personnel whose inspiring efforts
and tireless commitment help transform the lives of many young
people in the wider community.
Ita Tobin
Head of Service
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 20132
NEWS
A word from our Schools OutreachOfficer
Welcome to another busy year
with DCU’s Access Outreach
Programme. This year we are
delighted to have over 6,000
students from North Dublin
schools taking part in outreach
activities. The Programme is
delivered both in schools and
through after school provision.
Our initiatives focus largely on
providing additional academic
support to students, and
enhancing their personal and
professional development. We
have introduced a number of
new initiatives this year, including
after school classes in maths and
science, a suite of career
guidance supports, and a series
of workshops in personal
development and social
innovation.
We look forward to working with
you again this year and wish all
our partners continued success in
their endeavours.
For more information on any of
our programmes, or any DCU
Access supports, please visit
www.dcu.ie/access.
Susan Hawkins
Schools Outreach
Officer, Access
DCU.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
visited DCU on December 6, 2012, and gave a
wide-ranging global human rights address
entitled 'Front Lines and Frontiers – Making
Human Rights a Human Reality'. The event was
attended by an audience of over 1,000 guests,
including DCU students and staff, Government
representatives, members of the diplomatic
corps, and the media.
The event, which was televised nationally and
internationally, received enormous global press
coverage. Musical entertainment was provided
on the day by a host of young and highly
talented artists from second-level schools
linked to DCU. Among the students
performing was 15-year-old Tomike Jinad from
the Donaghies Community School, who said:
“Performing for Hilary Clinton was an excellent
experience. I was really excited when I was told
that I would be performing for her. While the
preparation was exceptional, I still found that I
had some nerves going on stage. However,
when I got on stage these nerves disappeared
and although it was overwhelming, I settled into
my song and gave the best possible
performance I could give. I feel privileged that I
was selected to sing for Hilary Clinton and it is an
experience that I will never forget”.
During her visit to DCU, Secretary Clinton
received the inaugural Fr Aengus Finucane
Award for Services to Humanity from Concern
Worldwide. The Award was presented to
Secretary Clinton by two DCU Access students –
Abdul Ali Hassan and Megan King.
US Secretary of State visits DCU!
ABOVE LEFT AND TOP: DCU Access students Abdul Ali Hassanand Megan King presented the inaugural Fr Aengus FinucaneAward to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ABOVE RIGHT: Student Tomike Jinad was among those whoentertained Secretary Clinton at the event.
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 2013 3
Citi – Guiding the Way Forward
In 2012, over 1,000 senior cycle students from schools linked to
DCU through the Access Service received a tailored careers
programme aimed at raising awareness of third-level education
while tackling the financial barriers that prevent students from
progressing to university.
Supported by Citi, ‘Guiding the Way Forward’ is a collaborative
project between the School of Education Studies at DCU, the DCU
Access Service and guidance professionals in 24 DEIS schools in
North Dublin.
‘Guiding the Way Forward’ provides a comprehensive curriculum
for use by career guidance professionals in the classroom. In
addition, a series of innovative workshops are available throughout
the year for students on the DCU campus, which focus on the
creation of study pathways, career portfolio programmes and
financial planning. Short courses are also provided to parents on
the benefits of higher education, planning for the future and
supporting a child through university. With the continued support
of Citi, an online version of ‘Guiding the Way Forward’ will be
available from January 2013, extending the reach of the current
programme in North Dublin. A vital part of this initiative will be the
availability of free continuing professional development seminars
for guidance professionals on the use of digital technologies in the
classroom. For more information, please visit www.dcu.ie/access.
Thanks again to Citi Foundation for their support of this
programme.
Discover DCU
The aim of Discover DCU is to encourage second-level students living
in areas of high social and economic disadvantage in North Dublin
to consider university as a realistic option. The programme is
delivered over a six-week period with students attending half-day
interactive workshops, co-facilitated by DCU personnel and current
Access students and graduates. In 2012/2013 it is estimated that
over 270 fifth and transition year students, aged 15 to 17 years, will
have attended Discover DCU. To date, our evaluations show that
95% of participants said that the workshop really made them focus
on what they will do after school, with 90% saying that they will
apply for college/university. Sincere thanks to our supporters State
Street, and all staff and students who contributed to the design and
consultation of this initiative. Special thanks to Muireann Ni
Dhuigneain, ex-officio Director of the Careers Service at DCU; Amy
Lucas, Access graduate from the School of Applied Languages and
Intercultural Studies; and, Greg Creevey, a final year student from the
School of Communications.
CAREERS
Students from Cabra Community College who took part in the DiscoverDCU workshop.
DCU President Professor Brian McCraith (right) with Brian Hayes, Head ofCiti Transaction Services for Ireland and Head of the Citi Innovation Labsin Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA), and the students of St Mary’s HolyFaith, Glasnevin.
This programme is kindly supported by:
This programme is kindly supported by:
Here’s what students from Cabra CommunityCollege had to say about Discover DCU…
“It was really good, we all really enjoyed it. We made loads of
new friends and the people running the workshop were nice
and helpful. We got a very good feel for college.”
“At first, we didn’t know what to expect, but it was extremely
exciting to go to DCU. We got to see the campus and everyone
was so nice and helpful.”
“We all got to say how we felt about coming to college. We
talked about our fears and how everyone has them and how to
overcome our fears. It made us think about our future.”
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 20134
Google work experienceAs part of our careers development and personal development suite
of programmes, we were delighted this year to collaborate with
Deborah O’Neill, University Programmes Specialist for Google
Ireland and member of the DCU Alumni Council, on their transition
year work experience programme ‘OneWeek@Google’. Each year,
Google invites applications for 25 places on their work experience
programme, and this year these much sought after places were
offered to students from schools linked to the DCU Access
Programme. Students from Trinity Comprehensive Ballymun,
Patrician College Finglas, Colaiste Dhulaigh Coolock, Mercy College
Coolock, St Mary’s Holy Faith Killester, St Dominic’s Cabra, St
Declan’s Cabra, St Finian’s Swords, St Michael’s Finglas, St David’s
Artane, St Vincent’s Glasnevin, St Aidan’s Whitehall, and The
Donahies Community School all participated in the week-long work
experience programme. The OneWeek@Google programme was
developed in order to provide pre-university students with an
enriching, creative and challenging work experience within a new
media technology company. During the course of the week,
students met Google staff, worked on projects together, created
blogs and presented to senior managers at Google. They even got
a masterclass in pizza making from the Google Head Chef!
At a graduation
ceremony held on
Friday November
30 in the Google
Headquarters in
Barrow Street,
students were awarded certificates and prizes by Helen Tynan, Head
of HR Ireland, and Dominic Cunningham, Global Safety Manager,
Google (a.k.a ‘The Sherriff’). We would like to congratulate all our
students on a very successful programme, and extend our thanks to
Deborah O’Neill and her colleagues in Google Ireland for offering
our students this wonderful opportunity.
Events for parents
The DCU Access Service, along with DCU in the Community,
hosted a number of parents’ workshops in the Axis Theatre in
Ballymun. These workshops, held in October, November and
January, covered topics of interest to parents whose children are in
their Leaving Cert year. The first workshop was entitled
‘Supporting your child through sixth year and beyond’ and was
facilitated by Andreé Harpur, career guidance expert. The second
workshop covered the CAO application system and how to apply
to the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) scheme, and was
facilitated by Joanna Ozarowska from DCU in the Community and
Susan Hawkins from the DCU Access Service. The last workshop,
held in January this year, covered how to apply for the grant and
was facilitated by Paul Hayes of the Northside Partnership, who
helped parents to navigate the new SUSI student grants system.
This initiative was kindly supported by Citi Foundation and the
DCU Access Service would like to thank all those who volunteered
their time to deliver these workshops.
CAREERS
This programme is kindly supported by:
Students at their
pizza making
masterclass!
Students from our link schools on the final day of their Google work experience.
Helen Tynan, Head of HR Ireland addresses the students.
Ross Hanny from Patrician College and Joanna Hickeyfrom Holy Faith Killester receiving their medals fromGoogle Global Safety Manager Dominic Cunningham,a.k.a. ‘The Sherriff’!
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 2013 5
CAREERS
Ian O’Connell
Beneavin College, Finglas.
This was one of my best experiences
ever. It was a fun-filled and exciting
week. At the start of the first day
I didn’t know anyone apart
from my friend. The
icebreaker grouping in Trinity
College helped a lot in getting
to know people; if it wasn’t for
that I think I would have been
lost from day one.
It went to show that Take5 had really boostedmy confidence, which has helped me today.
On the second day of Take5 I went to UCD. We did activities,
including practical activities in medicine, and even attended a
sociology lecture, which was different. Later in the day I got to do
rock climbing and play lacrosse, which I found very enjoyable. On
Friday we went to NUI Maynooth and I got more information about
the Access Programme, which will really benefit me. On the fourth
and fifth days we went to DIT and DCU. They were probably my
best days of Take5. On our last day I was more nervous than the first
day as our marketing group had to give a presentation to a large
audience. I didn’t think I was the type of person to stand up at a
microphone and talk to people. It went to show that Take5 had
really boosted my confidence, which has helped me today. Overall
the week of Take5 was great: it was well planned and organised by
the access programmes of the colleges, and our student leaders
were very helpful as they told us their personal experiences of their
life at college. I am very thankful to the people that were able make
it happen. I would recommend the Take5 experience to anyone.
Jonathan Friel
Beneavin College, Finglas.
My name is Johnny Friel and I took part in the Take5 summer camp
in 2012. I was very lucky to get the chance to take part in Take5. I
went to five different colleges as part of the summer camp. They
were DCU, UCD, TCD, DIT and NUI Maynooth. I found this
programme was a great way to experience college life; I got to
understand what it is like to be a student in these five colleges. Each
college played a special part in the experience!
For me, Take5 was a complete success
There were four topics that we could study during the week –
photography, drama, music and marketing – and we then selected
the one we preferred. I chose photography and learned quite a lot!
We had Miriam O’Connor and Jimi Ennis to help us to understand
what it would be like to study photography in college. For me,
Take5 was a complete success and I am planning to go to one of
the colleges that we experienced during those five days. The staff
and students of each college really made the experience so much
better and I hope to be like one of those students in the future.
Take5 for university accessTake5 is a joint initiative organised by the access programmes of
DCU, DIT, NUI Maynooth, Trinity College and UCD. This highly
successful programme provides an opportunity for second-level
students to explore their interests and aspirations, and experience
day-to-day college life.
Students spend a day in each of the five colleges and also complete
project work, which they present to an audience of their peers,
parents, teachers and Access staff at a closing ceremony on the final
evening.
This year’s closing ceremony was hosted by the DCU Students
Union, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Shea
McNelis and his team, who volunteered their time and expertise to
ensure that the ceremony was a great success.Jonathan Friel (far right) with a group of fellow students after receiving hiscertificate for completing the Take5 Programme.
My Take5 experience
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 20136
Murder mystery maths!
On Monday February 12, 70 first-year students from our link
schools became private investigators for a day. They came to help
Sherlock Holmes (Stuart Kehoe from CTYI) and Dr Watson
(Domhnall O’Hanlon, CTYI) solve the murder of our researcher
‘George’. It was alleged that George was murdered because of the
research he was conducting and Sherlock was unable to solve the
case on his own. Using clues that were left on George’s skeleton,
Sherlock and the students cracked various codes to reveal the name
of the killer. Students also helped Dr Watson to design an app,
which would assist Sherlock in solving his cases. The purpose of this
programme was to show first-year students the fun side of maths
and how maths can be used in different ways.
One student who attended on the day commented: “It was very
different to the maths we do in school. I enjoyed it, thanks very
much”.
Another student commented: “I had lots of fun solving puzzles and
games!”
This programme is one of a series of initiatives kindly supported by
AOL and we were delighted to have Laura Scanlan, HR Manager
from AOL, along on the day.
The sound of maths
To help celebrate World Maths Week in 2012, the DCU Access
Service hosted a ‘Maths Fun Workshop’ for 250 second-level
students and their teachers in the Helix at DCU. The workshops
were co-facilitated by leading experts in the Centre for Talented
Youth Ireland (CTYI) at DCU, and George Humphries, physicist,
musician and author of the New Concise Project Maths series for
Junior and Leaving Certificate. According to Ciaran McKevitt, a
maths teacher from Pobalscoil Rosmini: “Both talks were extremely
interesting and engaging, and drew a great reaction from the
students; it was a really fun way for students to gain a real
understanding of mathematics”.
The DCU Access Service would like to extend our sincerest thanks to
both Domhnall O’Hanlon and George Humphries, who volunteered
their time to deliver this workshop.
ACADEMIC
This programme is kindly supported by:
This programme is kindly supported by:
Clockwise from above: Students try to solve the clues, helped byStuart Kehoe from CTYI; as part of the murder mysteryexperience, students got to design an app; working together tocrack the codes and solve the mystery; and, students with ahappy Laura Scanlan, HR Manager with AOL, and a not sohappy George the skeleton!
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 2013 7
Seeking clarity on science
The DCU Access Service seeks to encourage students in our link
schools to engage with science after the Junior Certificate, and to
continue studying science to Leaving Certificate. To this end,
students from link schools were provided with an interactive tour of
DCU’s high-tech Clarity Lab. Students from Ballymun’s Trinity
Comprehensive School also received additional mentoring from a
DCU graduate in preparation for the Young Scientist Exhibition.
Here’s what students had to say:
Fifth-year student Mirza Sultan talks about a positive
experience of science: My name is Mirza Sultan, and I am a
fifth-year student attending Trinity Comprehensive School in
Ballymun. On November 8, BITE and DCU Access arranged a trip
for our biology and phys/chem classes to the Clarity Lab to learn
about sensor technologies.
Aoibheann Bird gave us an introductory talk explaining the work of
the centre. Afterwards she showed us different examples of their
research in this area. This included a balancing board with a sensor
inside, which measured movements and projected them onto a
screen in the form of a 3D game. It was fun and most of us tried it
out. Then Aoibheann showed us a huge touch screen composed of
six individual screens, which had about three million photos on it.
She explained that it was taken by a research student who carried
a camera around his neck for two years, which took a photo every
20 seconds.
Sensor technology research could involve anything from a hat with
the ability to send telepathic messages and commands to a
computer, to a policeman’s gun that could be programmed to
respond only to his fingerprints!
On the lab tour we found out a lot about sensor technology. I was
amazed that if I opt to study science in university, it could be me
taking part in this research in two or three years. Thank you to DCU
Access and the Clarity Lab for organising this trip, it was time well
spent.
The DCU Access Service would like to extend its thanks and
appreciation to Aoibheann Bird from the Clarity Lab, who has been
so generous with her time in giving the students in our link schools
this wonderful opportunity to visit the Lab.
ACADEMIC
Aoibheann Bird from the Centre for Sensor Technology (Clarity Lab)hosted students from Trinity Comprehensive in Ballymun.
The science of cleaning “Last year our science class went to see the BT Young Scientist
Exhibition in the RDS, and this year we decided to do a science
project. Our project is to explore how much bacteria there is on
doors and other commonly used surfaces in our school. A lady
called Sheena Fagan, who works in Alltech in Ashbourne, came to
our school to help us come up with this idea. She is going to help
us with the project, along with our science teacher, Miss Henegan.
We are getting different cleaning products and are going to check
which ones work best. We will test the most commonly used doors
in the school, including the bathrooms! There are five of us
working on this project and we hope to visit the Young Scientist
Exhibition again in 2013.”
The DCU Access Service would like to thank Sheena Fagan,
Research Associate and DCU graduate from Alltech, who has
volunteered her time to mentor the students of Trinity
Comprehensive School in their science project.Students from Trinity Comprehensive are developing a science project.
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 20138
After school science clubThe Biomedical Diagnostics Institute here at DCU, in collaboration
with the DCU Access Service, has offered places to students from our
link schools on its after school science club. Students experience
hands-on experiments and activities designed to help them to
investigate keeping their heart happy and the amazing immune
system, as well as using smart materials and fantastic fluorescence.
These classes, aimed and first and second years, are taking place on
Wednesday afternoons during February and March. Enquiries should
be directed to Clare Scalzo, Education and Outreach Officer, BDI.
CTYI finds local talent in abundance
In 2012, students from 24 North Dublin
schools, aged between 13 and 17, took
part in the Centre for Talented Youth
Ireland’s (CTYI) annual national Talent
Search. Working in association with
Matheson, Ireland’s largest law firm,
CTYI invited the students to the DCU campus to take the
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT). The outcome of the
PSAT tests was outstanding with Matheson awarding academic
scholarships as follows:
n Seven students received a scholarship to attend CTYI’s Summer
Programme, an academic programme aimed at gifted students;
n Fifteen students received scholarships to attend the CAT (Centre
for Academic Talent), a summer programme for very high
performing students; and,
n Thirty students were awarded scholarships to attend Summer
Scholars, designed specifically by DCU and CTYI for students
with excellent academic potential.
The modules that the students took included psychology,
philosophy, film studies, mechanical engineering, computer
programming, law, politics, international relations, pharmaceutical
science, biomedical diagnostics, genetics, accountancy, marketing,
financial management, human performance and sports psychology.
The 2013 Talent Search in Access schools has begun, with final
assessments taking place in January and February 2013. For more
information on this scholarship programme, please visit
www.dcu.ie/access. Many thanks to CTYI for their pioneering work
with gifted children from socio-economically disadvantaged
backgrounds, and to Matheson for their continued support.
ACADEMIC
This programme is kindly supported by:
Student rugby blitzOn Friday November 9 last, the DCU Access Service, in
collaboration with Leinster Rugby, ran its first ‘Tag Rugby Blitz’ for
first-year students in our link schools. A total of 196 students from
13 schools came along to the DCU rugby sports grounds and
competed against each other for the Merit Trophy. Despite heavy
rain, all of the players gave their best and really participated in the
championship.
Jack Hanratty, Community Rugby Officer for Leinster Rugby,
brought along the Heineken Cup for the students to see. Jack and
his team of volunteers organised a wonderful event for everyone
and feedback from the students and schools was excellent. The
Merit Trophy was awarded on the day to the school that had
demonstrated the greatest enthusiasm, teamwork and
commitment. The winning school, as nominated by all the
volunteers, was Colaiste Dhulaigh Secondary School in Coolock.
Richard Kelly, PE teacher at Colaiste Dhulaigh said:
“We thought the tournament was excellent. It was great to
introduce a new sport, especially to first-year students. We have
never had rugby in the school so it was a great starting point and
many of the students have since asked when is the next
tournament, or can we start a full team? The participation and
sportsmanship element to it was excellent, as most of the sports
and competitions we are involved in are all about winning, where
only the very able students play, whereas this was essentially sport
for all”.
We would like to extend our deep appreciation to Jack and his team
for all of their hard work and also to the current DCU Access
students who volunteered to help out on the day.
ABOVE: Jack Hanratty addressing the students andissuing the instructions for the day.
INSET: The DCU Access Service and Leinster RugbyMerit Award, presented on the day to ColaisteDhulaigh Secondary School in Coolock.
LEFT: One of the Colaiste Dhulaigh studentspictured with Jack Hanratty, Community RugbyOfficer for Leinster Rugby.
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 2013 9
In 2012, 120 fifth-year students attended a suite of workshops in
social entrepreneurship at DCU. The workshops were facilitated by
Young Social Innovators (YSI) and supported by State Street.
Students were encouraged to explore and establish social
innovation projects that would be of benefit to their
schools/communities. An award ceremony was held in the Helix in
DCU, with student projects displayed throughout the Gallery. The
panel of judges included Ita Tobin, Head of Access, Billy Kelly, DCU
Dean of Teaching and Learning/Deputy Registrar, and Rachel
Collier, CEO of Young Social Innovators.
First prize was awarded to St Aidan’s CBS for their poster on
testicular cancer, and second prize was awarded to St David’s CBS
in Artane for their poster on mental health entitled ‘How well do
you know your friends?’ The judges also highly commended the
students from Margaret Aylward Community College for their
poster entitled ‘Young Carers’. The winning teams received a DCU
hoodie and a certificate, and the overall winners were offered full
scholarships on the DCU Summer Scholars Programme, run by the
Centre for Talented Youth Ireland, based here in DCU.
Eric Clusker, a sixth-year student in St Aidan’s CBS who was a
member of the winning team, continued with his endeavours to
raise awareness about testicular cancer among young men.
Following the event in the Helix, Eric undertook to organise a
fundraising event in his local community, raising money for the Irish
Cancer Society.
Eric stated that: “On the road where I live in Santry, a lot of families
have been affected by cancer, or have lost a family member to
cancer. This is such an important issue. I wanted to organise a really
fun event for all the family, which would help raise awareness of
testicular cancer and raise some funds for cancer research as well”.
With his family and friends on board, Eric organised ‘Bounce Cancer
Out’, with bouncy castles and fun activities for all the family to
enjoy. The event raised €1,114.40.
Attendance rewardedResearch has shown that regular school attendance is an important
factor in school success and that there is a direct correlation
between good attendance and increased academic performance. In
collaboration with teachers and home school liaison officers, the
DCU Access Service Attendance Awards are once again being
offered to students in our link schools. These awards aim to
encourage and reward students who achieve the highest
attendance records throughout the academic year, and
nominations are welcome from third-year students. This year, based
on feedback from guidance counsellors and teachers, we have
decided to offer the award to the student who has had the highest
attendance record, but we are also offering an award to the student
who has shown the most improvement in their attendance.
Winners so far this year include: Hannah Lawless and Kellie Gregan
from St Mary’s Holy Faith Killester; Anthony Sheils and Rebecca
Molloy from Grange Community College; and, Jamie Ardinez and
Megan Rothballer from St Mary’s Holy Faith Glasnevin.
Congratulations to all award recipients on their achievements.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Students work to build awareness
Eric Clusker, second from left, with the winning team from St Aidan’s CBS, Artane.
The students from Margaret Aylward Community College were highlycommended for their poster entitled ‘Young Carers’.
This programme is kindly supported by:
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 201310
On Thursday December 6, 2012, the DCU Access Service hosted its
annual Achievement Awards. Some 374 students from the 24
schools linked to DCU were invited to attend an awards ceremony
where their achievements were acknowledged in the areas of Sport,
Arts and Culture, Academic, Community Spirit and Special
Nomination. Certificates were awarded to the students by Prof.
Eithne Guilfoyle, Vice President of Academic Affairs. The DCU Access
Service takes great pleasure every year in hosting our Achievement
Awards, and we welcome the opportunity to reward and recognise
the achievements and efforts of students attending our link schools.
Our aim is to recognise and reward the diligence and effort shown
by students and we hope that they will continue to aspire to even
greater levels of achievement in school and also in later life.
The students, teachers and their invited guests enjoyed a wonderful
evening of entertainment provided by the very talented singers and
musicians drawn from our link schools, St Mary’s Holy Faith
Glasnevin, The Donaghies Community School, Margaret Aylward
Community College, Pobalscoil Rosmini and St Aidan’s CBS.
In addition, the winners of the Maths Video Competition were
announced on the night and first prize went to St Kevin’s College
in Finglas. Gold medals were awarded to Jamie Keatley, Gary Farrell,
Daniel Cusack and Ross Delaney, who designed and filmed their
three-minute video drama on ‘The Right Angle Triangle’. In second
place was St Aidan’s CBS Whitehall, and silver medals were awarded
to James Fahy, Colm Lombard, Sam Singleton and Anthony
McMahon for their song entitled ‘Right Angle Triangle’.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all who helped to
make this event a resounding success.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
A packed auditorium for the awards ceremony.
Students from Pobalscoil Rosmini, Drumcondra.
Students from St Dominic’s Cabra.
Students fromMargaretAylwardCommunityCollege,Whitehall.
Students from The Donahies Community College, Streamville Road.
High achievers acknowledgedat Awards Ceremony in the Helix
Silver medalwinners from St Aidan’s withPaul Keenan,DCU Graduate,Author andForeign Editorwith the IrishCatholicnewspaper.
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 2013 11
PRIMARY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
The Centre for Academic Achievement (CAA) has won a Google Rise
Award for the second year in a row. Since its establishment in 2006,
CAA has enabled over 1,450 primary school students from socio-
economically disadvantaged areas of North Dublin to attend special
after school classes at DCU. The Programme is a joint collaboration
between the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland (CTYI) and DCU
Access Service. It aims to encourage high ability students who
traditionally would not have access to university resources and
materials to fulfill their full academic potential. This year, over 250
primary school students aged between eight and 12 years
participated in the CAA. The Rise Awards fund, promote and support
science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and computer
science education initiatives in Europe among socio-economically
disadvantaged groups. Over 300 companies worldwide submitted a
project for this award but only 30 were successful.
The CAA previously won The Irish Times Dublin Living Award in 2007
and The Taoiseach’s Public Service Excellence Award in 2010.
The subjects that the students studied during 2012 included:
n Volcanoes, Earthquakes & More n Computers & Animation
n World of Harry Potter n Code Breaking & Puzzles
n Medicine n Chemistry
n Multimedia n Superhero Science
n Engineering n Psychology
n Veterinary Science n Computer Gaming
Nurturing young interest in scienceJunior Achievement Ireland,
in partnership with Bord Gáis
Networks, launched the
second year of its Science
Forward programme on
November 15, 2012, in
DCU. Approximately 225
students from seven primary
schools participated in this
year’s programme. Students from Loughshinny, Skerries, Coolock,
Ballygall, Darndale and Cabra were introduced to the world of science
and technology through hands-on experiments and interactive
workshops. Delivery was facilitated by Junior Achievement Ireland and
trained staff volunteers from Bord Gáis Networks as part of Science
Week 2012 (November 11-18).
“This event was a wonderful introduction to the world of science and
to the environment of a third-level institute for the students,” said
Cathy Crowe, teacher at Christ the King GNS in Cabra. “The interactive
workshops and hands-on experiments were greatly enjoyed by the
students. Their interest in science was truly inspired and they have since
discussed selecting science as a first-year subject in secondary school”.
For further information, contact Damien Henehan, Junior
Achievement Ireland, Tel: 087-659 8368, or Email: [email protected].
Through partnership with the DCU Access Programme, BizWorld
Ireland has provided DCU students with the opportunity to engage
with primary school children, many of whom are from disadvantaged
areas, in a meaningful way, where the children learn important life
skills such as entrepreneurship, critical thinking, innovation, decision
making, money management and collaborative learning. Access
students have the opportunity to ‘give something back’ to their own
communities, acting as mentors, facilitators, and even venture
capitalists, throughout the two-day workshops. The children
experience the entrepreneurial process from company formation,
applying for jobs, market research, and pitching for seed capital, to
design, production and selling their product. In BizWorld Ireland’s
case, this product is a short animated movie. DCU students gain
invaluable insight into a complementary approach to education and
also learn about the importance of volunteering in their communities.
Through empowerment of students at both primary and third level,
BizWorld Ireland sows the seeds … so they can grow their future.
New entrepreneurship programme for 9- to 11-year-olds
CAA wins Google Rise Award for second year running
The Rise Awards fund, promote and support STEM initiatives among socio-economically disadvantaged groups in Europe.
This programme is kindly supported by:
Students enjoying the Science Forwardevent at DCU.
ACCESS SERVICE NEWS March 201312
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
The 14th Access Orientation Programme (AOP) of the DCU Access
Service took place from September 4-7, 2012. A total of 220 new
undergraduate students took part in the Programme, DCU’s
highest Access intake to date. This year the group was made up of
students from all over Ireland and from over 20 countries, reflecting
Ireland’s changing demographics.
The programme is the first of the post-entry supports offered to
Access Scholars. Each year, the emphasis is on making friends,
getting to know Access staff and providing an easy transition to the
DCU environment, and 2012 was successful in all these areas.
Students participated in group work, presentations, social and
sports activities, and taster lectures for their specific programme of
study. They had the opportunity to meet some of their lecturers,
second-year Access students and Access staff. These supports have
proved to be significantly beneficial to students as they negotiate
first year at university. Successive research studies have highlighted
that the dropout rate for Access students remains at less than 7%,
with 92% of Access graduates gaining either a first- or second-class
honours degree.
Orientation Programme welcomes students
This is what our first-year students had to say…
“I found the Access Orientation really brought me out of myself,
and helped me to socialise.”
“I am so grateful to the Access Programme for giving me the
chance to study a course I thought was out of my reach. It is
beyond anything I ever could have imagined was possible. In
securing a place in CS, I now have the drive and ambition to
really engage in my course and all the opportunities DCU has to
offer. I hope I can prove that I was worth offering a place to!”
Over 200 students attended this year’s Access Orientation Programme. The aim of the Access Orientation Programme is to provide an easytransition into the DCU environment.
DCU Access team
Ita TobinHead of DCUAccess Service
Orla ConlanDeputy Head ofService
Cathy McLoughlinSenior AccessOfficer
Susan HawkinsSchools OutreachOfficer
Colette Keogh Post Entry ProjectOfficer
Caroline BowePost Entry ProjectOfficer
Caitriona PowerPost Entry ProjectOfficer
For further information about any of the items mentioned in this newsletter
please contact Caitriona Power: T: 01-700 8052 E: [email protected]