Summer schools to prepare students for university life

SECONDARY school students will have a chance to experience university life at a series of summer schools next month at NUI Galway. The six schools, across the disciplines of business, nursing, computing, engineering and science, are specially designed to give prospective students a real taste of university life through a wide range of hands-on practical activities. Commencing on Wednesday, June 5, a nursing summer school will give students the opportunity to learn more about studying nursing and the careers available to them upon graduation. Activities will focus on life saving skills including CPR, recognising vital signs and hand hygiene. Spaces for the nursing summer school are limited to 32 students and are on a first-come, first-served basis. For those interested in IT, two week-long computing summer camps will take place from June 10 to 14 and again from June 17 to 21.[private] The camps will introduce computing in a novel, fun and interactive way and students will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with a range of digitally-inspired topics, including programming, computer animation, games, 3D modelling and robotics. The summer camp will also give students a sense of the exciting possibilities in computer science and information technology, and will also provide an insight into the range of topics that form part of the BSc in Computer Science and Information Technology. Due to popular demand for the computing course, students must apply to the college before Friday, May 31. For those who arenâ€â„¢t successful in their application, a computer science and information technology one-day camp will be held on Monday, June 24, which is open to all secondary school students. Students interested in engineering can avail of a special summer school on either Thursday, 27 June or Friday, 28 June. These workshops offer a unique hands-on practical experience to get a taste of life as an engineer. Be an engineer Activities include controlling a wastewater treatment plant remotely, robo-soccer games, building and testing pacemaker circuits, designing an eco-house, and for future Formula 1 engineers, designing a go-kart. There will also be a â€ËœFrankenstein Designâ€â„¢ feature on how bioengineers make new body parts. For those with a more general science disposition, a science experience summer event takes place on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June. The workshops will feature all disciplines of the College of Science including biology, chemistry, maths and physics. Prospective students will get a taste of life as a scientist, with the opportunity to take part in lab experiments and demonstrations, find out more about careers in science and hear about the latest discoveries and inventions. Taking place on Tuesday, 25, June the business summer school is made up of workshops and lectures based around the five subject areas taught by the School of Business and Economics: marketing, human resource management, accounting, economics and business information systems. Students will get a taste of life as a business student and see how what they will learn is applied to the business world. Activities include five 45-minute workshops providing insights into each subject, tours of student facilities at NUI Galway and students will have the opportunity to find out about the financial positioning of local businesses. Spaces for all summer schools are limited, so early booking is advised. The closing date for applications is Friday, 7 June, with the exception of the science experience summer event and the computing summer camp, which have closing dates of Sunday, 19 May and Friday, 31 May respectively. For further information or for an application form, visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/summer-schools/.[/private]