Transition year students learn about mapping Ireland’s seabed

Jack Lillis, Aoife Muldoon and Emily Egan recently completed transition year placements hosted by INFOMAR at the Marine Institute. They learned how seabed mapping can improve safety at sea, how it relates to the fishing industry, and how it can help the development of sectors like ocean energy.

Each student spent a week visiting the various Marine Institute facilities and learning about the different activities of the Institute. At the end of their experience, each student created a 'story map' and power point presentation to show what they achieved during their placements.

"We really enjoyed our week at the Marine Institute and we now know a lot more about what a career in Marine Science really means. It's a hugely interesting area of science that we don't learn about in school. We especially enjoyed our visit to the Celtic Explorer, seeing the multibeam system, learning about seabed mapping and how this information improves the admiralty charts so that vessels like the Celtic Explorer can safely visit ports. We also learnt about how seabed mapping relates to the fishing industry and helps sectors like Ocean Energy, this was of particular interest to us. We would like to thank Vera and all the Advanced Mapping Services and Marine Institute staff for teaching us so much about seabed mapping, fisheries, the laboratories and how all the different areas interlink. We now have a much better idea of what subjects to pick for leaving cert!"
Aoife Muldoon & Emily Egan St. Brigid's Vocational School, Loughrea

"I had a fantastic week, all the areas I worked in were really enjoyable, I was particularly interested with the laboratory work. Everybody knew what they were talking about and nobody shied away from any questions in fact they encouraged them. Everybody had something lined up for me to do so I was kept really busy, which was great. Over all I really enjoyed my week in the Marine Institute and I'm a glad I chose it for my first week of work experience. It was both a good way to see a working environment but also has encouraged me to pursue a career in marine related chemistry. Thanks so much to Tommy, Vera, the Advanced Mapping Services team and staff at the Marine Institute for taking time out of their busy day to facilitate me."
Jack Lillis – Gort Community School

The Marine Institute will run a transition year course placement on a pilot basis at the end of April for up to 20 students.

INFOMAR is Ireland's national seabed mapping programme carried out jointly by the Geological Survey of Ireland and the Marine Institute.