2007 Press Releases
"Inventors Grow in Schools" - novel initiative by UCC's Process & Chemical Engineering Department
Students from 11 different schools participated in the recent UCC TRIZ
Cup for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Organised by John McSweeney,
Innovation Facilitator, Department of Process & Chemical
Engineering, UCC, the programmes seeks to show Transition Year
secondary school students how systematic thinking and technical skills
can be deployed to solve everyday problems and generate product
ideas. Each group of students was taught the basic principles of
TRIZ (the theory of inventive problem solving) which they then applied
to invent new product ideas. . According to John McSweeney "this
programme is designed to lead to a greater interest in Science and
Engineering and hence address the shortfall of Irish Engineers and
Scientists in our workforce."
Support and funding from UCC's Process and Chemical Engineering
Department and Access Office have seen the TRIZ KIDS programme grow to
involve nearly 200 students this year. Prizes were again
sponsored by AIB.
Nine of the 11 schools were Transition Year groups. Scoil Phobail
Bheara, West Cork, were convincing winners with an excellent presenter
and CEO in Rachel Sheehan. Their innovation involved new plasterboard,
which had partially vacuumed cells, which decreased heat loss.
A special Innovation award went to Listowel Community College 3rd year
student, Dennis Aherne whose inventions around the wheelchair were very
well received. Orla Stanton from 6th Class Kilcredan National School
was presented with the Young TRIZ Inventor of the year award for the
School's project on "Slow Food". This was the first year the programme
reached primary schools and it appears there is an innovation explosion
happening with this age group! It is hoped to expand this area in 2008.
Participating schools this year included: St Vincent's Secondary
School, North Monastery, Deerpark CBS, Ursuline Secondary School,
Causeway Comprehensive, Listowel Community College, Kilcredan National
School, Nagle Community School, St Coleman's Community School, Maria
Immaculata Community College, Dunmanway, Scoil Phobail Bheara.
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