Academy of the Near Future is a smart city education programme for students offered by CONNECT and Dublin City Council.
The programme exists to accelerate sustainable and inclusive smart city development through awareness, skills, and confidence-building.
Cities across the world are becoming smarter by using technology to make better decisions about how we plan, build and deliver services. Increased understanding of these technologies is needed at a city administration and community level so more of us can engage confidently in shaping the future of our cities and societies.
Academy of the Near Future programmes are a combination of interactive workshops, online learning and “hands on” activities with sensor kits that provide learners with an understanding of how technologies such as the Internet of Things and Big Data can help cities deal with traffic congestion, air pollution, extreme weather events, and more.
Committed to demystifying smart cities to groups who are underserved in STEM, 50% of our workshops take place in DEIS schools with 50% female participation.
In doing so, the Academy of the Near Future equips change makers to tackle 21st-century city challenges, and work towards a world where smart city technology improves the sustainability and liveability of cities across the world.
As the practice of public participation in scientific research, citizen science drives behavioral changes at the individual and community level and plays a central role in creating a more sustainable future for all.
Focusing on the theme of ‘Active Travel’, the Academy of the Near Future a run are running three-part workshop series in the Citizen Innovation Lab where TY students will set up air quality sensors and traffic counters to capture local environmental data for the city of Limerick.
For more on the Academy of the Near Future, see video through link below