Armagh Planetarium opens Northern Ireland Space Office

As part of World Space Week, the FT regional centre in Ireland, Armagh Planetarium, has launched its latest initiative, the Northern Ireland Space Office (NISO).

The Space Office is being jointly funded by Space Connections (a member of the Yorkshire Forward Regional Development Agency) and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

NISO aims to build on the interest and enthusiasm of teachers already involved in space science projects by developing resources to support all teachers in aligning the potential offered by developing technologies to the requirements of the revised Northern Ireland Curriculum. The resulting resources and support materials will use the context of space to relate science, technology and mathematics to real life.

Robert Hill, who is heading up the Space Office said "There is a fantastic opportunity here in Northern Ireland to create a learning environment that encourages school children to recognise the importance of Science, Engineering and Technology in modern industry and society. There are already many Astronomy and space-related resources available to teachers and pupils throughout Europe and the Space Office will align these resources and learning journeys to the new Northern Ireland curriculum."

Hill continued "There is a real problem facing Europe, with not enough students tackling the disciplines in school that they perceive as difficult and this new initiative will hopefully inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers. Northern Ireland has a fabulous educational reputation and it is important that our next generation gain the necessary knowledge to compete in a European knowledge-based society."

Armagh Planetarium, and Robert Hill in particular, have been fantastic advocates for FT in Ireland, and the opening of the Northern Ireland Space Office is a well deserved reward for all their hard work promoting astronomy and space.