11 April, 2022

 

MTU societies are celebrating double success winning two national award titles at this year’s Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) Awards. 

 

 

The MTU Programming Society was awarded the Best Departmental Society for their diverse and high level of activity which enhanced the student experience and enjoyment. The society aims to be a community for all who use programming in their studies and helps them socialise with and learn from their peers.  

 

 

Co-Chairpersons of the society 4th year Software Development students Roshan Sreekanth and Aphral Griffin were very aware of the impact remote learning had on students getting to know their classmates. With the majority of classes returned to in person and on campus this semester, the social aspect of students getting to know each other better was a priority.  “We switched from running only workshops and academic events to having a focus on getting students who are interested in programming to socialise with each other. This was done by running games nights, movie nights, quiz nights and more.”

 

It was celebrations also for the WiSTEM committee who were presented with the Best Society Civic/Charity award. The WiSTEM society aims to bring together female STEM students from courses across MTU, allowing them to make friends and network. The Society also reached out to post-primary students to educate and inspire them to consider careers in STEM which is what this award was particular acknowledging.  

 

 

Vice Chairperson Laura Condon highlighted the importance of STEM role models “we hope that by holding outreach events we will give female students the same confidence and passion as their male counterparts when looking into the CAO courses offered by MTU as prospective options once they finish their leaving certificate”. 

 

 

Other students representing MTU included students from a vast variety of societies such as the radio society BANG FM, Anime & Manga, Civil & Structural, Board Games & Pool and NAG Nursing & Agricultural Students.

 

Societies Officers Aoife Kelliher (Cork Campus) and Kevin Ross (Kerry Campus) both expressed how societies have had a great year and the accolades at the National BICS Awards are a testament to their excellence. “We have over 50 societies across all campuses and 350 students who volunteer in committee positions. Involvement in societies is an important part of students’ social and emotional well-being. Making friends is such an important part of college life and getting involved in societies is a key opportunity for this.” Student societies are a path to a greater experience of higher education, to build friendships which will last beyond their college years and gaining skills which are just as valuable as you learn in a lecture hall.

 

 

The 2022 BICS awards saw a return to an inperson presentation event having been presented online for the past 2 years.  Over 300 students attended the formal function from colleges and universities around Ireland.  BICS is a national organisation that was founded in 1995 and whose role is to provide a national forum for the societies in Ireland’s Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Education.

 

BICS continues to grow, and they now have 18 colleges, 742 societies with 50,000+ students represented across Ireland. They act as an information resource and support mechanism for society administrators, promoting the sharing of ideas and the implementation of best practice.