Tag: Anniversary

Engineers Ireland celebrate STEPS 25th anniversary with education report

From Awareness to Action: Engineers Ireland advocating for engineering outreach, an education position from the Engineers Ireland STEPS programme, will be presented at the Engineers Ireland STEPS 25th Anniversary Celebration on Monday 7 April with a panel event hosted by Mark Langtry, TV presenter and STEM Education Expert. The panel will feature Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, Úna Parsons, Retired Head of College, Atlantic Technological University, and Head of Faculty of Engineering and Design, and Dr Keith Sunderland, Engineers Ireland Registrar and STEPS Director. The paper will be available on Monday 7 April. 

The panel will discuss the findings and recommendations of the paper including the creation of a national Centre of Excellence for Engineering Outreach, embedding engineering more explicitly in school curricula, and pushing for real changes in STEM policy. It calls for targeted teacher training, a national awareness campaign, and a long-overdue recognition of apprenticeships as respected routes into the profession. 

The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme is the only national STEM programme with a dedicated focus on engineering. Centred on children aged 5-16, the programme has introduced over 2 million children and young people to engineering as a meaningful and exciting career path. 

If you would like to speak with Dr Keith Sunderland, Engineers Ireland Registrar and STEPS Director about the programme, or the findings and recommendations of the education report

Suggested interview topics: 

  • Skills shortage: A shortage of engineering talent is threatening Ireland’s ability to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven, knowledge-based economy.
  • ‘College-only’ outlook: The lack of awareness, opportunities, and perception of engineering apprenticeships highlights gap in the engineering education and outreach system. 
  • Addressing gender inequity in STEM: 68% of girls-only schools offer STEM subjects other than science or maths, compared to 96% of boys’ schools (IWish, 2024) 

 

About STEPS
The Engineers Ireland STEPS Programme is designed to open up the exciting possibilities that engineering offers to school children who want to make a real difference in the world. STEPS aims to inspire future generations of STEM talent by providing meaningful, fun, and practical insights into the diverse world of engineering. http://www.engineersireland.ie/schools

About Engineers Ireland
With over 28,000 members, Engineers Ireland is the voice of the engineering profession in Ireland. Engineers Ireland was established in 1835, making it one of the oldest and largest professional bodies in Ireland. Members come from every discipline of engineering, and they range from engineering students to fellows of the profession. For more information, see www.engineersireland.ie

Microsoft Marks 50th Anniversary with Invite to Students to Join AI Skills Fest

Microsoft marks its 50th anniversary globally, a major milestone on its journey of shaping and developing the innovative technologies transforming our economy and society.

To celebrate this milestone, Microsoft is rolling out AI Skills Fest, a 50-day series of curated events and opportunities to engage in AI discovery and learning. The series of events will cater for everyone from professionals to students and business leaders offering a unique opportunity to advance AI skills through hackathons, live training sessions, on-demand experiences, community events, and much more.

The Microsoft AI Skills Fest will begin with a spectacular Kick-off Celebration on April 8th, 2025. Starting in Australia at 9 AM Australian Eastern Standard Time and wrapping up in the United States at 4 PM Pacific Daylight Time, this 24-hour, globe-spanning event will feature a variety of AI learning activities designed to engage and inspire learners of all experience levels.

In Ireland upper primary, post primary and Youthreach students are also being invited to join the Dream Space Live AI Skills Fest event on April 8th from 10am – 3pm. The five-hour virtual event, streamed live from Microsoft Dream Space, will immerse students in the world of AI through interactive sessions that encourage learners to grow and enhance their AI fluency.

Led by Microsoft’s team of Dream Space educators, learners can look forward to engaging AI sessions tailored to their needs, including hands-on creative AI challenges, discussions on ethical AI, and an exploration of future AI careers.

This event is one of many events taking place across the globe to achieve a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for most users to take an online multi-level artificial intelligence lesson in 24 hours.

“Today, as we celebrate 50 years of innovation at Microsoft, we look forward with great excitement to the opportunities the next era of technological transformation will bring. AI is redefining how we live, work and do business. That’s why it’s crucial we equip everyone across society with the skills and capabilities to succeed in an AI enabled economy”, said James O’Connor, Microsoft Ireland Site Leader and Corporate Vice President Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre

“As we mark this milestone, we’re proud to continue delivering on our commitment to empower every individual across Ireland to thrive in the era of AI. Kicking off with a special Microsoft Dream Space event, which will be streamed live for students across the country, the Microsoft AI Skills Fest provides a valuable opportunity to inspire, educate and enhance AI skills and fluency for everyone across the island of Ireland. We hope all students and educators will take the opportunity to engage with this special Dream Space event, and that adults across the island of Ireland will participate in some of the many AI learning events over the next 50 days to advance their AI skills.”

 To register your school for the virtual event on April 8th,  go to Dream Space Live: AI Skills Fest.

For anyone who is not an educator or student and looking to engage with many of the other AI learning opportunities as part of the wider Microsoft AI Skills Fest go AI Skills Fest | Home.

SciFest competition kicks-off ahead of its 20th anniversary

SciFest, Ireland’s largest and most inclusive STEM fair programme for second-level students has announced its return ahead of its 20th anniversary with a call for entrants to the SciFest regional fairs, taking place across the country. The SciFest programme is funded by grants from the Department of Education and Research Ireland and by private sector sponsorship, primarily by Intel, Boston Scientific, EirGrid and new partner Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

SciFest organisers kicked off the launch of the 2025 competition in Explorium with students from Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School in Co. Dublin, and announced the theme for 2025 as ’STEM is for All.’

Project entries are accepted across a range of scientific disciplines including physical and life sciences and technology. Students wishing to participate should log on to the SciFest website (www.scifest.ie) and enter online. Completed entry forms must be submitted by 12 March 2025.

The regional fairs take place across the months of April and May, with selected winners going on to compete at the SciFest National Final in November 2025. Here, they will have the opportunity to take home the overall prize and represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in the United States next year.

Speaking ahead of the competition’s 20th year, Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO said:

‘SciFest is back for 2025, and we couldn’t be more excited. I would urge all students to get involved and enter, no matter your background or circumstance, to explore the wonderful world of STEM and all it has to offer. Previous winners of the competition are thriving and have gone on to achieve incredible things, from launching their own start-ups to studying at prestigious institutions like Oxford University. SciFest opens the door to an array of opportunities.

As we plan for our 20-year celebrations, we look forward to an exciting year ahead in which the competition will grow to even greater heights. I want to take a moment to thank our sponsors for their continued support, without which none of this would be possible. We can’t wait to see the fantastic and innovative projects that lie ahead, so don’t miss out! Sign up today and be part of this exciting journey.’

The competition has grown rapidly since its inception in 2006 and drew over 15,000 student participants last year. SciFest aims to support students in research development, critical thinking, and problem-solving, all the while fostering an interest in STEM. It is free to enter and is open to students of all backgrounds and circumstances.

Siemens celebrates 100 years in Ireland

Global technology company Siemens is today celebrating its 100th anniversary in Ireland. Founded on 7th January 1925 as Siemens-Schuckert (Ireland) Ltd., Siemens has been at the forefront of shaping Ireland’s physical and digital infrastructure across key sectors including manufacturing, utilities, healthcare, infrastructure and rail.

The company’s Irish journey began with ESB and delivering a transformative project for Ireland: the construction of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme in Ardnacrusha, County Clare which started in 1925. Completed four years later, the 86-megawatt (MW) power plant revolutionized the Irish Free State by harnessing the power of the River Shannon, ushering in the electrification of the country. This monumental project laid the groundwork for Ireland’s first national energy network, which continues to benefit from the renewable energy produced at Ardnacrusha.

In the years since the delivery of the Shannon Hydroelectric Scheme, Siemens has been a cornerstone of Ireland’s development through groundbreaking projects.

In 1969 Siemens supported the delivery of Turlough Hill in Co Wicklow. This is still Ireland’s only pump-fed power storage plant and makes use of two water reservoirs separated by 300 metres in the Wicklow Mountains to generate electricity. Siemens supplied four 73 MW generators for the plant to provide a reliable and efficient way to store and generate electricity. The system can ramp up to full power of 292 MW in just 70 seconds, enough electricity for 300,000 homes.

The business also provided the overhead line system for the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) eco-friendly electric rail system in 1980s, installed the nationwide rail signalling infrastructure which it has continued to maintain since the early 1990s, and automated over 120 level crossings with CCTV technology.

Siemens has been instrumental in supporting various sectors across the Irish economy. It has delivered projects to upgrade the instrumentation and controls at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and providing the baggage handling system for Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2.

Siemens also supported the first installation of a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner in Ireland at Richmond Hospital in 1978 and the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system in Ireland in 1987 at Mater Private Hospital. Siemens Healthineers continues to support hospitals and healthcare organisations with leading medical technology across Ireland. In 2023, it also launched a Centre of Excellence for Immunoassay Instrument Research and Development at its manufacturing site in Swords, focussed on unlocking innovations in laboratory instruments used to detect infectious diseases, cancer and blood disorders.

Today Siemens employs over 750 employees across three independent entities – Siemens Limited, Siemens Healthineers, and Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Siemens continues to drive innovation in Ireland, delivering advanced digital solutions and sustainable technologies for utilities, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, data centres, and smart buildings. Using automation and cloud-based analytics, Siemens helps organizations to optimize their operations and advance their decarbonization goals.

Joe Walsh, General Manager of Siemens in Ireland, said: “As we look back on Siemens’ 100 years in Ireland, we are celebrating a century of innovation, resilience, and partnerships. Since our incorporation in 1925, Siemens has evolved significantly, adapting to the ever-changing global markets through mergers, acquisitions, and strategic transformations.

“Our heritage is built on a foundation of courage and trust. These values have driven bold decisions and fostered strong, enduring business relationships across the Island of Ireland.”

Carl Ennis, CEO of Siemens UK & Ireland, added: “Ireland has always been a cornerstone of Siemens‘ success. The pioneering projects we have undertaken here have not only shaped the country’s infrastructure but have also set the stage for our future endeavours. As we look ahead, Ireland will continue to play a crucial role in our mission to drive innovation and sustainable growth globally.”

Paddy Hayes, ESB Chief Executive, commented: “The Shannon Scheme had a profound impact on Ireland at the time, providing the electricity essential for social and economic development. Since then, ESB has worked together with Siemens on many important, innovative and groundbreaking projects supporting resilience, energy security and low carbon electricity. Many congratulations to Siemens on their centenary in Ireland.”

Tech Review – Nokia 3210 (2024)

Being an avid high end smartphone user it is challenging at times when testing phones like this but the Nokia 3210 has more uses than one would think and now people are and can use technology to detox and that is what I have been doing and the Nokia 3210 is a start to help you detox which I think many of us need to do.

Now I went through in detail all the features on the device which you can see here and has been popular so if you need a rundown check out the video below while we talk about this phone can help you detox amongst other things.

First up is the design of the 3210 which many said on my social media it looks more like the 3310 but that is subjective and for me makes no odds the device is super light and think with tactile clicky keys that work well and will fit in any pocket.. It does feel cheap but it is robust and after having it a few weeks now it has not got marked or scuffed either which is a good sign although I am careful with my phones.

There is lots to do on the phone itself and you can use your own earbuds/headphones to listen to the tunes which you can load via your microsd card and the music sounds alright it would be my most use of the phone apart from calls and text which takes getting use to but you pick it up rather fast. Oh it has a radio so if you have no music or forgot to load some again sounds great.

Nokia 3210 (2024) with headphones plugged in for radio – techbuzzireland

There is a decent battery life on this too which is not something you see everyday today and it is removable again another thing you do not see and refreshing. There is plenty of games to test out too and some with limited goes and then you have to purchase you can certainly forget about battery anxiety with the Nokia 3210 that is for sure..

There is a camera and video recorder on board which will not win any prizes but look it takes alright photos I guess if you felt the  need to do so on your time away I guess and to be expected really it is not a phone for social media despite internet access which is not the best either and how it should be and keeping you away from pings all day long and just relaxing listening to the radio or your own music. I would advise daytime shots or bright areas though to get a decent image that people can see.

Overall this is not a phone out to set records by any stretch but more to detach your from the internet and social media it has plenty of battery and features on board to take away for a weekend like I did and feck eveyone else after that you can make phone calls and send text and being frankly honest I think we all need to step away from the internet and social media every now and then and this device can help like previous reboots from Nokia and HMD.

See more on the Nokia 3210 here and some videos

 

 

Amazon Dublin Celebrates First Anniversary

The team at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Dublin recently celebrated its first anniversary by hosting a week of activities for employees, including a fancy-dress day, prize giveaways and carnival games.

The state-of-the-art fulfilment centre, which created 500 jobs when it opened in August 2022, provides faster delivery for customers across the country, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.

The 630,000 square foot centre at Baldonnell Business Park, holds millions of items that are picked, packed and shipped to customers across Ireland as well as the rest of Europe.

One of the team celebrating the first anniversary during the week of fun activities was Colm Jennings. Colm said: “Amazon has provided me with amazing opportunities to work on numerous projects, including site visits from the Tánaiste and volunteering at local charities. It’s great that we can celebrate all of our achievements and these events have been the perfect way to have fun and round off our first year together.”

Since opening its doors, the Dublin fulfilment centre has supported many community organisations locally, with donations totalling €24,000. Charities supported by the team at Amazon in Dublin include Cliona’s Foundation, Jigsaw and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice.

Lee Cox is one of the employees who helped launch the Dublin fulfilment centre and ended up with more than just a job. He said: “The past year has been full of amazing opportunities and experiences thanks to the Amazon family in Dublin. Before joining, I started my training in Edinburgh and didn’t realise that I would meet my future wife along the way.

Lee Cox

“Thanks to our paths colliding, we have a new member of the family with the birth of our first son. Without the opportunity to launch Amazon in Dublin, I would never have met my partner, had my little boy and made the amazing friends I have here in Ireland.”

Tule Skurzinskaite is an inventory control and quality assurance manager at Amazon in Dublin. Tule added: “The highlight of my time at Amazon in Dublin is the opportunity to develop within my role alongside a supportive and positive team. Thank you, Amazon, for believing in me and supporting my growth as an employee and as a person.”

Darragh Kelly, General Manager at Amazon in Dublin, said: “It has been a privilege to work with the many great teams that have delivered the significant investment in Ireland to enable even faster delivery speeds for our customers. I am proud that we offer all kinds of jobs across a wide range of disciplines reflecting the range of skills and abilities in communities across Ireland. In the first 12 months of operations, it has also been great to welcome many of our local political representatives to the site.

“Over the past two weeks we have taken time to celebrate the first year of full operations of our centre in Baldonnell. We continue to forge strong links with the community, including charities such as Angel Eyes, Barretstown and many more. I’m excited for the future where we will continue to build on the success of what we have achieved so far.”

Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits, and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays its employees in Dublin, whether they are full-time, part-time, temporary, or seasonal, at least €14.25 per hour. Employees are offered a comprehensive benefits package including include private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

Amazon offers employees Career Choice, an innovative programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to €12,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.

SHURE celebrates 50 years of the SM7 with anniversary signature edition SM7B

What do psych soul outfit Black Pumas and rapper-turned-gamer Logic have in common? They both rely on the Shure SM7B to connect to their fans when it counts most.

First released in 1973, the SM7 was built to be the best professional broadcasting and voiceover microphone possible. Evolving into the SM7B, the dynamic microphone has come to dominate pro podcasting and streaming, while remaining indispensable in the world’s best recording and broadcast studios. The SM7 line has a storied history, trusted by the most innovative entertainers, artists, and creators for five decades.

“In the history of audio, very few microphones have delivered the sound of as many generations of entertainers and creatives as the SM7 family,” said Eduardo Valdes, Associate Vice President of Global Marketing, at Shure. “The fact the SM7B continues to be adopted by new creators, artists, and broadcasters is a testament to the Shure engineers who designed the microphones and all those who have relied on its pioneering audio quality.”

To celebrate 50 years of its iconic mic, Shure is releasing 50 units of a super limited, numbered, Signature Edition SM7B Collector’s box set. The box set will be available only through a giveaway in select regions*.

The Signature Edition SM7B will feature the engraved signature of S.N. Shure, the founder of Shure Incorporated, as well as a set of five custom backplates adorned with vintage Shure logos from 1925 to the 1960’s. The box set will also include custom packaging, a limited-print SM7B poster, heritage booklet, and alternate screw set emblazoned with the classic Shure logo.

Whether it’s big-time broadcasting, professional podcasts, streaming, or critical studio recordings, the legendary SM7B delivers smooth, warm vocals every time, capturing and enhancing the finer details of the human voice and blocking out all distractions. While the SM7 line hasn’t changed much over the years, it continues to be adopted by those shaping culture and has left a legacy all its own.

Click here to sign up for the Signature Edition SM7B sweepstakes. For a first look at the Collector’s box set, stop by the Shure booth at TwitchCon Paris, booth #SW-5.

Learn more about the SM7B’s historic impact on audio in our LOUDER blog post, “50 Years in the Making: The Rise of the Mighty SM7B.”

Interested in joining in the legacy of the world’s most iconic microphone? Order your own SM7B at https://shure.com/sm7b.

See the SM7B box set unveiled here:

Celebrate 1st Anniversary of Momento App with free download of Momento+ by @Tiwaash #App #WindowsPhone #HappyBirthdayMomento

We all enjoy good times in life. We capture those beautiful moments so that we can cherish them over time and share with our close ones. It would be great if we could just snap a photo and customize it to suit our taste and share the moment right there with our friends and family. This was the idea behind the popular app Momento by Madina Technologies which later on came up with the premium service Momento+, which turns 1 today.

In celebration of Momento’s 1st Anniversary, Madina Technologies is giving everyone the opportunity to download Momento+ for free. Momento+ is the premium version of Momento – the best photo editing application on Windows Phone to capture your special moments. This offer is for 3 days only, from January 2-4, 2015. Throughout the 3 days, Madina Technologies is running a creative photo campaign on twitter using Momento with the hashtag #HappyBirthdayMomento.

Momento

For those who are fond of capturing moments and enjoy editing photos, Momento App allows users to add different details to their photos to portray the ambience of each particular moment. Users will also find various filter effects, frames, and over 250 stickers that they can add to their captured moments. Photos that have been edited can be saved to users’ mobile phones or OneDrive, which later enables them to be sent through various social media networks. Currently, Momento already supports 11 languages including English, Indonesian, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, French, Italian, German, and Mandarin.

Throughout its one-year journey, Momento has reached over 1.5 million users and is awarded the best photo editing application in more than 20 countries. Momento has also won several competitions including Winner of Vserv App Competition Indonesia 2014, Runner-Up of Microsoft Imagine Cup Indonesia 2014, and Runner-Up of Nokia Imagin8 Mission Worldwide.

Momento+ App is able to run on all types of Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1. Momento+ is available for download on Windows Phone Store.

Start making the best of this wonderful opportunity and get the best of this deal and do not forget to share your moments with us on Twitter and Momento. Do not forget to use #HappyBirthdayMomento. We whole heatedly wish the whole team all the very best for their future and may they win more and more awards while improving this app in the best way possible.

Stay tuned for more updates and tech buzz.