A secondary school in Co Offaly is about to get a direct, high-speed video link to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, in the US.
The students at Killina Secondary School, 10 miles from Tullamore, will be able to look through a $1-million electron microscope and take classes from top scientists on the other side of the planet.
“For our students to be able to interact directly with researchers in Georgia, and remotely controlled technology such as telescopes and powerful microscopes will be hugely exciting and motivational for our students and teachers,” says Joe Varley, a science teacher at the school.
The video images from the electron microscope will be so detailed that the students will be able to see what an atom of carbon looks like.
The classes by video link will start next January and will take place once or twice a week.
Georgia’s links to the Midlands
One reason why Killina was chosen to take part was because Georgia Tech has a research facility in nearby Athlone. Tullamore-based software company Network & Infrastructure Support Ltd is also involved in projects with Georgia Tech.
Other links have been fostered between Georgia and Ireland by Atlantic Corridor Ireland. This government-funded agency promotes economic development in the Midlands region.
Learn more
Watch a YouTube video in which Jeff Evans, deputy director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute and research associate Jessica Pater discuss the school’s video hookup with Jackie Gorman of Atlantic Corridor Ireland.
