The Team Behind the Magic!
Inspiring kids to love Science Technology Engineering Art Maths
The STEAM Team
At STEAM Education we’ve ve been working with Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths (STEM) and Arts experts from academia and industry since 2014 to support and enhance STEAM education for children and adults, starting at primary school level. We are committed in a broader sense to increasing awareness of the critical functions STEM and Arts play in our lives and our societies; to engaging in transdisciplinary collaborations for innovative problem-solving; and to exploring and learning about the fascinating world that we share.
Dr. Alice D'Arcy
Managing Director
Alice is the Managing Director of STEAM Education Ltd since 2015. She has channelled a broad range of professional experience, from ecology to animation, development education to sustainability management, into the development of STEAM approaches to learning and teaching.
A strong advocate of life-long learning she has a variety of qualifications from Applied Ecology (BSc) & Applied Environmental Science (PhD), Creativity & Change: Arts, Participation and Development (L8 Crawford/CIT), Creative and Digital Marketing (UCC Cert), and Art Therapy for Socio-Educational Interventions (Cert ddf+).
She is passionate about lots of things, including cats, chickens, science, creativity, growing things – especially native trees – and getting her hands dirty.
- +353 (0)87 6189837
- alicedarcy@steam-ed.ie
The STEAM Advisory Board
We also work with a number of other STEAM experts on programme development, training and delivery. We are very lucky to be supported by a highly experienced and dedicated advisory board.
Seamus Devlin
Co-Founder | Scientist | Entrepreneur | Businessman
Seamus – a parent scientist – started volunteering to teach science in Darrara primary school in Clonakilty when his daughter was 7. He loved it so much he continued doing this for 7 years, bringing in experiments and teaching the kids science, engineering and arts. It was this experience that inspired him to found STEAM Education – so that STEAM subjects could be cotaught by experts with primary teachers in schools all over the country!
“Our world is facing huge challenges and desperately needs creative people. Scientists, technologists, engineers, artists and mathematicians; people with the knowledge and skills to create a better world”.
Prof. John O'halloran
President of UCC | Zoologist | STEAM Engagement Advocate
Professor O’ Halloran is President of University College Cork; a scientist specialising in ecology, ornithology, education and sustainability. John has over 30 years experience in scientific research, teaching and learning, and outreach, and has been engaged in STEM education at all levels of the educational ecosystem. He is Director and advisor to STEAM Education.
“We need to educate cohorts of young people, from primary school onwards, to prepare them for jobs and careers that don’t even exist yet. STEAM Education is a really important approach to
combining and enriching the learning and teaching of STEM and Arts subjects to do this as early as possible. It’s about giving young people the opportunity to learn, and to grab the opportunities coming down the tracks in future skills. Actively linking STEAM primary school students with third level institutes, such as STEAM has done here with UCC STEM postgraduates, and with STEM professionals from industry, further enhances the potential for children to understand and pursue the multitude of opportunities to pursue exciting STEAM careers.”
Kevin O'Callaghan
Telecommunications Industry Business leader | Eco-sustainable House & Garden Constructor
“I was so impressed at the positive influence the STEAM programme had on my kids when the then fledgling programme started in their primary school (late 2000’s) that I teamed up with Seamus to assist in the development of STEAM as a business during its early years. I believe that industry has a social responsibility to nurture the talents of young people in their local communities. Science-based education is crucial in today’s ever more technological world and the integration of science and the arts within the
educational environment will be a fundamental advantage for societies in the future”.
Prof. Colette Murphy - RIP
Associate Professor of Education, TCD | Co-Teaching Expert
Colette is Associate Professor of Education in Trinity College Dublin, specialising in science education, co-teaching and other pedagogies in relation to primary school children and teachers. Colette is co-teaching and pedagogy advisor, and trainer, with STEAM Education.
“I have worked in the area of STEM interventions and co-teaching for many years on many interesting projects, but this is the best that I have been involved with. The combination of using hands-on STEAM
approaches, the team’s understanding of what really benefits primary schools and children, and the engagement of diverse enthusiastic “real-life” STEM experts to co-teach really works. We need more of this!”
Fiona Naughton
Naughton Foundation
Fiona and the Naughton foundation were key supporters of science in particular and also advisors to the company for the first 10 years. They have many years of experience and engagement in and with STEM students and graduates. They have engaged with STEAM to intervene at primary level, given the necessity to do so as a long-term strategy for the development of STEAM literacy and capacity in the country and beyond.
“I think it is important that children start to engage in STEAM education as early as possible because I think this will influence the future course of their lives”.
STEAM Team Highlights
