Research Associate - Young People Engagement, Cell EXPLORERS Outreach Programme, School of...

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Offer Description

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a full-time, fixed term position as a Research Associate with the Cell EXPLORERS outreach programme in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at the National University of Ireland Galway.

This position is funded by the Galway University Foundation supported by the Medtronic Foundation, and is available immediately for 24 months.

Cell EXPLORERS is a science education and outreach programme (www.cellexplorers.com">http://www.cellexplorers.com/">www.cellexplorers.com) delivering science activities regionally and nationally. Coordinated by the research team at NUI Galway, the Cell EXPLORERS programme operates as a network of 13 partner teams based at 10 institutions across Ireland. All partner teams in the network use the same unique model for sustainable STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) public engagement in HEIs where local scientist volunteers (undergraduate/postgraduate students and/ or staff researchers) deliver outreach activities to school children and the Irish public in the community. It has the dual benefit of engaging the public in science whilst also developing key graduate student attributes and researchers’ public engagement skills in a way and at a scale unique in Ireland.

The Project Will Ensure That Cell Explorers Volunteers Deliver Two New Activities

The Cell EXPLORERS programme received new funding support to widen participation in groups underserved and under-represented amongst the scientific community, including young people from traveller communities, refugees and young people living in area of poverty.

A Science Club for Youth Groups run in partnership with a national youth organisation. The Science Club comprises 4 weekly meetings between young people & scientists designed according to socially inclusive best practice.

A Cell Explorers Escape Room to schools in low-income communities. This educational escape room has been developed to be entertaining & immersive for young people who do not normally interact with science, do not learn science in school or would not visit a science festival. It contains a set of puzzles to solve that relate to modern biology and tools that scientists use in this field.

The project will run from NUI Galway, as part of the Cell Explorers programme, It will be disseminated locally in its first year and will be extended nationally in its second year.

Job Description

The successful candidate will act as a project manager to organise the dissemination of the two new Cell Explorers activities, a Science Club for youth Groups and The Cell Explorers Escape Room, as their main project manager. The project manager will be the main liaison between Cell Explorers volunteers, and young people underserved with science whether they are based in Youth clubs or secondary schools. They will coordinate and organise the recruitment and training of the volunteers delivering these activities. They will organise the visit with youth groups and schools and coordinate the evaluation of both the reach and the impact of the project. Results will be used to generate guidelines, reports, and publications.

The successful candidate will be integrated into the NUI Galway Cell EXPLORERS coordination team based in Biochemistry at NUI Galway and directed by Dr Muriel Grenon The team is made of Dr Sarah Carroll National Coordinator of Cell Explorers, Janic Schulte, research assistant, Shannon Stubbs Postgraduate research volunteer coordinator of the NUI Galway team.

They will benefit of all the existing organisation in place within the NUI Galway Cell explorers team including, volunteer recruitment, training procedures, activities management as well as the know-how of the NUI Galway Coordinating and research team.

Specifically for this project, the successful candidate will work in collaboration with both community partners and one education researcher recruited to study the impact of the Science club on participants perception of science and scientists.

Duties

Project coordination:

Implementation the delivery of the science club and the Escape room to target audience (young people within youth groups, DEIS Schools, traveller community) in agreement with health and safety, child protection, Garda vetting, data protection and other areas of relevant policies

Contribute to quick and effective solving of technical problems occurring as part of the project

Collect feedback and metrics on the project

Coordination of data collection from Youth clubs and schools (young people, youth worker, teachers, and family when applicable) and volunteers.

To complete any required administrative work to support the programme

Be the main point of communication with partners and collaborators on the project including part of Foróíge Galway/Roscommon, DEIS Schools, NUI Galway Access centre, NUI Galway Traveller society, NUIGalway University of Sanctuary, the University foundation and Medtronic.

Project Implementation

Organise volunteer training and coordinate partners to allow project delivery and data collection

Recruit and training of volunteers to deliver the two activities

Organise logistics of delivering the 2 activities in youth groups and schools (Scheduling and booking events, organising transportation, re-stocking and preparing kits for the escape room and youth club visits

Manage the specific programme resources (specialist equipment, laboratories).

Manage and delivery of the activities at science festivals, summer camps, and other special events

Dissemination

Managing the project web presence on Cell EXPLORERS and NUI Galway websites

Contribute to the Cell EXPLORERS presence in social and traditional media regarding this project

Engage in the dissemination of the results of Cell EXPLORERS programme under any suitable forms (website, write up reports or articles, present at conferences…) in collaboration with the researcher and with the support of and under the supervision of the Principal Investigator.

Communicate results to all relevant groups (partners, peers, institutions, policy makers…) nationally and internationally

Contribute to writing of funding grant proposals in line with the group research interest

Project Supervision, Teaching & Training

Contribute to teaching /tutoring/mentoring taking place within the framework of the Cell EXPLORERS programme

Acquire generic and transferable skills (including project management and undergraduate mentoring/supervision).

Mentor, assist or supervise, as appropriate and as directed, the undergraduate placement/intern/project and research graduate students of the Cell EXPLORERS group

Develop their own career reputation and career development

Keep communication and track of the activities occurring as part of the project (includes training, transport, budget, development of communication documents)

Project Evaluation

Establish, in collaboration with the postdoctoral research the evaluation methodology according to scope, goals and deliverables of the project

Organize the collection of data and subsequent data analysis

Compile and analyze data required for progress reports, presentations, and publication

consolidate evaluation report on delivery of programme

Improve data collection tools for use within the project if necessary

Qualifications/Skills Required

The post is particularly well adapted to candidates with experience working with young people, a good knowledge of the targeted communities and an interest in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths).

The ideal candidate should have experience coordinating and delivering project to completion.

Applicants must possess sufficient breadth or depth of specialist knowledge/practice in the field of Youth work or public engagement/outreach/informal science education with young people. Interest in Science and project evaluation is essential. Experience in managing and training a team or collaborating with volunteers is important. The applicant should be creative and enthusiastic, with excellent organization and communication skills and proven ability to work independently on

požadavky

zkušenosti/kvalifikace

Masters