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Category: Stranmillis News

Stranmillis University College is pleased to announce the appointment of Principal/CEO

Posted on by L O'Sullivan

Stranmillis University College is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Jonathan Heggarty to the position of Principal/CEO who will take up post following the retirement of our current Principal/CEO Professor Anne Heaslett.

Prior to his appointment to Principal & Chief Executive Officer of Stranmillis University College, Dr Jonathan Heggarty was Director of Curriculum and Learner Success at Belfast Metropolitan College from 2015.

A graduate from Queen’s University Belfast, Dr Heggarty started his career within the IT sector as a software engineer developing a range of products for multinational technology companies. In 2003, he became a lecturer within Further Education and has held several curriculum positions within the sector. In his role as Director of Curriculum and Learner Success, he led and managed the delivery of a wide range of full-time, part-time and work-based-learning further and higher education programmes to over 14,000 learners annually. He also led the development of a wide range of programmes designed to meet the needs of learners and employers.

Dr Heggarty is passionate about promoting the importance of education and was the founder of several initiatives including Coder Dojo Belfast which is the largest coding club for young people in Northern Ireland.  Dr Heggarty was awarded the MBE in December 2017 for services to Further Education in Northern Ireland.

In relation to his appointment, Dr Heggarty stated “I am delighted to be appointed as Principal & Chief Executive Officer of Stranmillis University College. Under the leadership of Professor Anne Heaslett, the College has enriched its well-deserved reputation for excellence in teaching, research and scholarship. I am privileged to take up this role and I look forward to leading the extremely talented and dedicated Stranmillis team.”

We’re Recruiting

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Stranmillis University College  has been shaping education, unlocking the potential of children and young people and building better futures for all through excellence in teaching and learning, research and scholarship. The College is currently recruiting for a number of academic posts for our degree programmes and for our Hourly Paid Lecturer Register .

  • Lecturer in Health and Physical Education
  • Lecturer in Education with Business and Enterprise
  • Lecturer in Early Childhood Education (part-time 0.5 FTE)
  • Hourly Paid Lecturer Register for 2021/22

Candidate Information Booklets and  online application forms for the posts can be found at the following link:

https://stranmillis.getgotjobs.co.uk/home

If you have contacts who may be interested, please let them know of these vacancies.  The closing date is Friday 21st May.

Stranmillis Virtual Open Days 2021

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

Stranmillis University College invites schools and their students to join us for our Virtual Open Days 2021 on:

  • Wednesday 28th April, 1.00pm-3.00pm
  • Wednesday 19th May, 4.30pm-7.00pm

A range of online resources and materials along with live sessions will give students the opportunity to get an overview of our courses from the academic teams and current students, and allow them to find out more about the application process, fees and finance, student support and additional opportunities and courses available.

To express your interest in attending, register at the link below:

Keep Loving it! Love the Daily Mile, Love Your Heart – at Home!

Posted on by Andrew McAteer

As Valentine’s Day approaches, The Daily Mile Network NI and the Education Authority are urging you to ‘Love The Daily Mile, Love Your Heart – at home’.

This time last year, Stranmillis University College invited over 100 children on to campus for a ‘Love The Daily Mile – Love Your Heart’ event, in association with British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, the Education Authority, the British Psychological Society, and the Northern Ireland Science Festival.

The Daily Mile initiative aims to improve the physical and mental health of our children by ensuring that every child runs or jogs for 15 minutes every day in their school.

And with many children learning remotely during Covid, co-chair of The Daily Mile Network NI and Stranmillis University College lecturer Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond is encouraging families to “Love The Daily Mile at home”.

“A year ago at Stranmillis University College we launched The Daily Mile as part of the NI Science Festival. Over 300 schools in Northern Ireland have signed up and now that we are in a different context, we want to remind parents and carers that The Daily Mile isn’t just for the school playground.”

“Fifteen minutes of exercise, jogging or walking, whilst outside when it is safe to do so, can lead to everyone becoming happier, fitter and stronger. Self-esteem, wellbeing and satisfaction can also improve mental health, so let’s keep our hearts and minds healthy by having fun, fitness and freedom in the fresh air, by continuing to love The Daily Mile at home.”

Colin Reid, EA’s Head of Safeguarding, Welfare and Inclusion, added: “The Daily Mile is a great initiative helping our children and young people stay fit both physically and emotionally. Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on a child or young person’s emotional health and wellbeing.”

“And that goes for parents and carers too. Specifically, it can relieve stress, improve memory, help them sleep better, and improve their mood. In the current climate, looking after our emotional health and wellbeing has never been more important.”

Head of BHF NI, Fearghal McKinney, added: “We’re delighted to see so many schools signing up to The Daily Mile over the past year. Instilling the good habit of taking regular exercise as a child bodes well for people continuing to look after their heart health later in life.

“Our research shows that physical activity can help reduce the risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases. Although we are not in normal times, continuing to take part in The Daily Mile at home will be beneficial for the children and their parents. This is the perfect opportunity for parents to also make small changes to their lifestyle that could help make a big difference to their heart health.”

You can watch last year’s Valentine’s Day launch of ‘Love The Daily Mile: Love Your Heart’ and hear from founder of the Daily Mile, Elaine Wyllie MBE, in a video from EA here: https://bit.ly/3cWAI30

Vintage Chemistry at Stranmillis

Posted on by R Greenwood

ChemistryThe next time you sip a chilled Chardonnay or gaze lovingly at a full-bodied Merlot, spare a thought for what exactly is in your glass and why it is there. The chemical analysis of wine was the focus of this year’s ‘Schools’ Analyst Competition’ held recently (before the lockdown!) at Stranmillis University College Belfast.

The event, organised by the Analytical Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry, aims to showcase the important role that analytical chemistry plays in the pharmaceutical industry, the regulation of standards for food and drink and the monitoring of the environment. The methods of analysis all relate to the A-level chemistry curriculum and the pupils are assessed on their accuracy, precision and ability to work as a team.

This year the competition was generously sponsored by local entrepreneur Dr Terry Cross OBE, owner of Château de La Ligne in Bordeaux, and featured the analysis of the white wine Marquis de la Ligne Bordeaux Blanc.

Teams of three sixth-form pupils representing 13 schools from across Northern Ireland competed to produce the most accurate determination of the wine’s acid content, sulphur dioxide levels and concentration of iron. The principal acid present in grapes is tartaric acid which gives the wine a tart taste.

The amount of acid present in wine varies and depends on the region the wine comes from, the climate the grapes were exposed to, and the conditions during fermentation. As the acid content influences the taste of the wine it is closely monitored and can be altered by addition of the base potassium hydrogen carbonate. Sulphur dioxide or sulphites are added to wine as a preservative to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and therefore ensure that the wine is safer to drink.
Sulphite is also an antioxidant and prevents the deterioration of flavour and discolouration by inhibiting both enzymic and non-enzymic browning. Since sulphites are normal products of the human body’s metabolism, we are able to cope with them provided the levels are not too high. Therefore the amount of sulphite added to wine must be carefully regulated as, in very high concentrations, it can produce gastric irritation and destroy the essential nutrient thiamine (Vitamin B1). Wine also contains low levels of iron which is taken up from the soil by the vine as the grapes grow and mature.

The winning team from Lumen Christi College Derry was presented with their certificates and book tokens to the value of £200 Dr Terry Cross OBE. The pupils from Rainey Endowed School (£100) came a close second, followed by Belfast High School (£80) and Rathmore Grammar School (£60).

Terry praised the pupils’ practical skills and was particularly impressed at how they were able to put their knowledge of chemistry theory into practice. Addressing the pupils and their teachers he said, “As a business man and employer I am delighted to see high quality team work and problem-solving skills used in real-life scenarios. Our future economy relies on having the type of talented and dedicated young people I have observed here today.”

All of the participants were found to meet the required level of accuracy and precision in their analyses and so were each presented with a certificate to mark their attainment and a book token.

Finally, on considering the pupils’ finding that a standard glass of Marquis de la Ligne Bordeaux Blanc would only contribute 4% to the recommended daily intake of iron, fortified breakfast cereals, lentils and spinach remain a better and healthier option!

For more information on the competition please contact J.McCullagh@stran.ac.uk

Top photo caption:
(from left) Dr Michael Harriott (Chair of The NI Analytical Division of RSC), the winning team of Patrick Gormley, Sean Morrison and Lewis McGarrigle, and the event sponsor Mr Terry Cross, owner of Château de La Ligne in Bordeaux.