The Nimbus Research Centre recently had the pleasure of welcoming the talented 6th class students from Gaelscoil Mhúscraí in Blarney for a two-day engaging, immersive and educational, interactive workshop as part of our ENTIRE EDIH and Cyber Futures initiatives. Designed to introduce primary school students to the possibilities of digital and emerging technologies, the workshop brought together real-world tools, expert guidance, and a whole lot of imagination. Over the course of the two days, students got a taste of what the future holds—by building, programming, and experiencing it for themselves.
On day one, with support from our experts Indika Dhanapala and Sourabh Bharti, students explored how sensor networks collect and share data in real time. From temperature readings to motion detection, they saw how these smart systems power many of the technologies we rely on every day. Next, they stepped into our state-of-the-art Extended Reality (XR) suite with guidance from Andrew de Juan and Oleksander Antoniuk. Here, the students immersed themselves in virtual environments, gaining insight into how XR can be used in education, training, entertainment and industry.
Finally the students had a hands-on coding session led by Tharindu Prabhath Ranathunga, where they developed simple programs to control robotic cars. It was a fantastic introduction to programming logic, robotics, and the creative problem-solving mindset that drives innovation.
On day two, the students engaged AI tools, learnt about concepts such as large language models, AI in education and the risks/potential for the future. This was followed by a demonstration of our cyber range infrastructure with Dean Brennan and Ioana Macove, as well as insights into cyber resilience and cyber threats. The students finished the day with our Cyber Futures Escape Room and table top, which simulates a cyber security attack on a company. The task was to complete the challenges and create a plan to stop the hackers.
What stood out most during the workshop was the enthusiasm, creativity, and sharp thinking these young learners brought to every activity. Whether they were debugging a robot’s movements or navigating a Virtual Reality (VR) environment, the students showed a genuine passion for learning and discovery, enabling us to foster digital skills at an early age and open up opportunities for all students to interact with the technologies shaping our world.
