The nomination recognises the achievements of WIT’s Calmast STEM Engagement Centre for organising Maths Week Ireland, which happens throughout the island of Ireland every October
Waterford Institute of Technology has been shortlisted for the THE Awards (Times Higher Education Awards) in the Widening Participation and Outreach category. The THE Awards are widely known as the “Oscars of higher education”. The awards ceremony will be held in London on 25 November this year.
The nomination recognises the achievements of WIT’s Calmast STEM Engagement Centre for organising Maths Week Ireland, which happens throughout the island of Ireland every October. Waterford Institute of Technology will compete against Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Cardiff University, University of Dundee, Manchester Metropolitan University and University of Nottingham.
New opportunity
These are the 17th annual THE Awards. This is the first time that the awards have been open to Higher education institutions in Ireland. There are 20 categories in total, covering a wide range of university activity across leadership and management, administration, and academia.
Welcoming the announcement, WIT President Prof Willie Donnelly said, “We are delighted and extremely proud to be amongst the shortlisted institutions in the Times Higher Awards. That our nomination is in the area of outreach and participation is especially pleasing. The nomination recognises the excellence of our outreach activity through the work of Calmast which has been promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) for many years through the region and Ireland. I want to congratulate and thank colleagues in Calmast, in the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, and in the other contributing Schools, and of course, the many partners who help with the work. The nomination is a firm endorsement of WIT’s efforts to widen participation in education throughout society.”
A testament to leadership
Maths Week coordinator Eoin Gill welcomed the news, noting that over 600 nominations were received across the 20 categories. “It is wonderful to be shortlisted this year, the first year that the awards have been open to higher education institutions in Ireland. Maths Week was founded at WIT and quickly spread across all higher education, North and South, growing to be the biggest such festival in the world. It is also eagerly embraced by schools, teachers and pupils with over 350,000 participating last year. This is testament to the leadership of WIT in reaching out and engaging with the community and of the partnership across the Island of Ireland that work together under the guiding ethos of ‘Maths for All’.
SETU Waterford, Cork Road, Waterford City, 
