Calmast STEM Outreach Hub for South East Region

Calmast is South East Technological University’s STEM Engagement Centre. It was established in 2002 to address issues in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) building on work of the South East Schools Science Initiative commenced in the 1990’s. The centre leverages the resources of SETU (in particular the staff and students and venues) and works in partnership with schools, industry and business, local authorities, public bodies and non-governmental organisations.  The core value is “STEM for all” and we work in a spirit of partnership in all things to engage as many as possible. Calmast has been funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as the STEM Hub for the South East Region to develop a Hub and Cluster Model for STEM engagement across the South East. In 2021, the centre was the winner of the Best Education Outreach at the Education Awards Ireland and was short listed in the Times Higher Education Awards (UK and Irl) in the Widening Participation and Outreach category. CALMAST was highly commended and were the the 1st Irish highest Education Institute to receive this recognition.  Typically 30,000 attended Calmast coordinated events in the region, festivals and sustained engagement activities and hundreds of thousands engaged with Maths Week Ireland.