SMARTlab Skelligs Team
Our Story
Our team is made up of a small Core Team, PhD Students, local faculty and a team of content developers, who work with us to develop and delivery programmes, that align to the skills and competencies, required for the 21st century and the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) world. The VUCA world requires a way of thinking and approaching solutions to problems in dynamic creative and systemic ways and linking critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication to utilise tried and tested in relevant contemporary and innovative ways.
Our approach - place-based STEAM and placemaking, uses a bespoke methodology, integrating the permaCultural resilience praxis, design thinking, project-based learning and the Sustainable Development Goals and Earth Charter to consider and develop eco-psycho-social interventions that engage with the WHY (purpose), HOW (output) and WHAT (impact, outcome) of any action, while embedding social, environmental and economic justice within a whole ecostystem approach.
Meet The Team
Director, SMARTlab Skelligs
CoFunder and Director
Future Focus21c
Rebecca White
CoFunder and Director
Future Focus21c
Dr. Anita McKeown, FRSA, FIMP
SMARTlab PhD Candidates - Kerry Cohort
Eleanor Turner, PhD candidate
PhD Thesis Title: Inclusive Design for Land Stewardship: Supporting communities in implementing action-based projects for Biodiversity
Vincent Hyland, PhD candidate
PhD Thesis Title: Augmenting the Sustainable Marine Environment: towards a novel multimedia educational toolkit
supporting active learning in the ‘wild’
Lucy Hunt MSc - PhD candidate
Joint with UCD Earth Institute MSc Title: Racing with Purpose: Impacts of a novel ocean literacy platform on relationship with the ocean and positive environmental stewardship with key stakeholders engaged in The Ocean Race Learning programme
Local Faculty and Collaborators
Lucy Hunt, MSc
Local Faculty
Lucy Hunt is the director and founder of Sea Synergy Marine awareness and Education Centre in Waterville. She is also the education officer for the Ocean Race
Dr Jessica Garska
Dr Jessica Garska has history of working in higher and further education specifically in incorporating academic literacies, trans languaging into education and curriculum development
Walter Brennan, Msc Researcher
Walter Brennan is a sustainability researcher and environmental advocate specialising in low-carbon building materials and circular economic strategies.
Chris Reina, collaborator,
MakerMeet
Chris Reina is a maker and STEAM educator based in Killarney. Chris works with us through local maker and technology community and educational programmes.
James McCarthy,
Local Faculty
James McCarthy is a Landscape Architect, and works with us on our land management programmes. particularly Seeding Sustainabiliy