The 12th European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) conference opened in Dublin on Monday, co-hosted by University of Limerick and Dublin City University.
UL’s EPI-STEM, the National Centre for STEM Education worked with CASTeL in DCU to bring this international conference to Ireland for the first time.
ESERA aims to improve science teaching and learning through research and the conference, which continues until Friday, is attracting about 1,500 delegates from 75 different countries from around the world.
Professor Sibel Erduran and Dr Peter Childs from UL have been on the Steering Committee of the conference.
According to Professor Erduran, who served as the Vice-Head of the Scientific Committee as well as on the ESERA Executive Board: “ESERA is one of the most respectable associations for science education in the world. It’s a real privilege and honour for UL to be co-organising the conference, welcoming delegates from all over the world and highlighting the Irish contributions to science education research. There is a great deal of energy and enthusiasm among EPI-STEM staff, researchers and doctoral students who are actively involved and will be delivering presentations, making it a record participation for UL researchers in the history of the conference.”
EPI-STEM’s Professor Paul Conway will also be delivering a plenary talk during the conference.
EPI-STEM and CASTeL are the two largest Irish STEM education research centres actively involved in providing research-informed pre-service and in-service teacher education and conducting evidence-based research on STEM curriculum, pedagogy and learning at all levels.