Harmonic - An Educational Comic Book Projec
Harmonic is a student-led Graphic Short Story Project for primary-level children. It is co-funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the Department of Education Ireland. Harmonic is a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) comic book which is a rich tapestry of short stories that are funny, topical, informative and inspiring. The Harmonic comic book provides students with the opportunity to engage in the co-creation and co-design of educational content for Ireland's primary school curricula. In turn, it provides teachers with a non-traditional and contemporary approach to teaching STEAM in the classroom which may help engage a range of students with different learning styles.
It is a collection of works by people from various colleges, places and interests who responded to the question ‘What does STEAM mean to you?’ It embodies a snapshot in time of our collaborative experiences working together as members of the University College Dublin (UCD), Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Limerick School of Art & Design, Ballyfermot College of Further Education (BCFE), Munster Technological University (MTU) Crawford College of Art & Design, Technological University Dublin (TUD) and The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) collective communities.
The creative team included Nicki Bond, Alise Bagaeva, Amy Greene, Francesca Minascurta, Kala Chung, Olivia Jade, Ananya Singh, Eilis Espina, Maria Semerkina, ZhangYu Yu, Alanna Ní Mhiacháin, Stella de Burca, David Kelly, Weronika Mitura, Nicola Richardson, Connie Heather, Azalin I. Rothwell, Sadhbh Ní Riain, Oumba Kodia, Kristen O Connell, Amy Barter, Rose Mesquita Washington, Lucas Gattoni, Lorna Byrne, Adam Breen and Sharon Breen. The creative team would like to sincerely thank all those who facilitated the realisation of our comic book. It has been a very exciting journey for us all and we are grateful to have made many new friends along the way! A very special thanks to Louise Boughton (BCFE), Anna Greene and Dermot Flynn (NCAD), Prof. Peter Duffy, Student Union, Student Societies Network, Trish Longmore, John Barry (UCD), Lauren Cannon and Trish Brennan (MTU), Muriel Dinneen (TUS), Elaine Lawlor and Mairéad Corcoran (TUD) for their time, support, guidance and insight.
Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) said: “SFI are delighted to support Harmonic, an innovative approach to engaging primary school learners with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM). Each story is beautifully illustrated with fun and engaging takes on interesting and relevant STEM topics from how GPS works, to the world of fungi and space travel and relativity. This collection of short stories collated into the final comic book is a wonderful resource for primary schools and an excellent and entertaining read for anyone interested in STEAM. Engaging with STEAM content such as this is vital for broadening participation in STEM among learners and breaking down stereotypes around STEM. Congratulations to all involved in the project.”
Schools, Registered Charities and Organisation that work with community groups who are interested in receiving print copies of the comic book while supplies last can contact the project co-lead Dr. Sharon Shannon-Breen at sharon.shannon@ucd.ie or download the pdf version of Harmonic below.