From May 9-10th, the historic Regent House in Trinity College Dublin played host to the very first Connective Detective Exhibition. Organised by the Academy of the Near Future, an education programme developed by Smart Docklands and CONNECT, the exhibition marked the culmination of a series of workshops designed for 5th and 6th class primary school students across the Dublin region.
Since early 2024, The Connective Detective programme has reached over 450 students across 12 schools, introducing young learners to the building blocks of smart cities: telecommunications, connectivity, and urban innovation. Through fun, hands-on workshops, students were encouraged to explore the systems that keep our cities running and to imagine how they could make them better.
The result? A buzzing two-day exhibition, where students proudly showcased their own smart city prototypes. Using Lego, recycled materials, and plenty of creativity, the young innovators presented their visions for a more connected, sustainable Dublin.
The exhibition was designed not only to showcase student work, but to invite the public into the smart city conversation. Attendees explored how telecommunications and connectivity shape life in Dublin today, contributed their own design ideas, and even got hands-on with model-making activities.
Smart city innovation should be inclusive, community-driven, and forward-looking. The Connective Detective is a perfect example of this vision in action; empowering young people with the tools and confidence to shape the future of their communities.
About Academy of the Near Future
Academy of the Near Future is a smart communities education programme in partnership with CONNECT and Dublin City Council.
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 the 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
To find out more about upcoming programmes and how to get involved, visit: https://nearfuture.ie/
