This article is from page 7 of the 2008-08-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 7 JPG
NASA and the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in science beckons for Clare man Rory Murphy.
Rory, who hails from Inch, will take part in a FAS led initiative, which will take him to the National Aero- nautics and Space Administration (NASA), the University of Central Florida and the Florida Institute of Technology, next month. Rory is an electrical craftsman working in Ro- che Ireland and his study programme and work placements will include fi- bre optics, advanced process control, instrumentation as well as alternative energy systems.
Rory has taken advantage of sev- eral opportunities to further his edu- cation, skills and knowledge in the past both in Roche and academic institutes like LIT. He described this latest opportunity as “the chance of a lifetime”.
The overall aim is for the partici- pants to transfer and apply the skills
and knowledge they gain to their future careers. This in turn benefits Ireland’s academic institutions, and future employers, and _ ultimately, enables the country to move up the value chain as a knowledge-based society.
Cyril Treanor, Director of Human Resources at Roche Ireland said the company is delighted to be support- ing Rory. “Our company is very in- terested in opportunities to provide
increased training and development to our employees.” He added, “The programme will provide a valuable opportunity for Rory to realise his potential by developing a deeper un- derstanding of technologies, gaining insights to potential opportunities and enhancing his skills.”
In association with participating companies from all over the country FAS founded the Science Challenge. It comprises two distinct programmes – Up skilling and Internship – en- gages young people learning science and engineering and exposes them to new technologies and research op- portunities.
FAS has also forged partnerships with Space Florida, BioLink USA- Ireland, the National Space Biomed1- cal Research Institute (NSBRI) and a multitude of related companies and academic institutions. The overall aim is for the participants to transfer and apply the skills and knowledge they gain to their future careers.