Limerick STEM Stars bid to shine brightest

THREE Limerick schools will take on counterparts from four other counties across Munster in the BD STEM Stars competition.

Students from Desmond College, Coláiste Nano Nagle, and Coláiste Chiaráin will compete in the BD STEM Stars final, for a €10,000 prize, which will be held at BD’s Research Centre Ireland (RCI) in the National Technology Park, Castletroy.

The competition is run by BD, one of the world’s largest med-tech companies, out of the RCI and geared specifically towards promoting and encouraging participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects for children aged between 13-19 years of age.

In the STEM Stars competition, students are asked to develop projects that will advance the world of healthcare.

The BD 2023 STEM Stars Award, which is supported by the Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB), is the biggest such awards programme in Munster.

Now in its fifth year, the competition has been extended this year for entries from the Mid-West to all of Munster, such has been the growth in interest in the competition.

Coláiste Nano Nagle’s has two entries making it to the final.

One looks at the potential to use VR technology in the treatment and assessment of mental illness, while the other is simply titled Oh, the Irony!

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Colaiste Chiarain is also looking at the latest tech with its entry BTBB - Bob the Bacteria Bot, which will help identify bacteria on agar plates using Artificial Intelligence.

Desmond College, meanwhile, returns to try and retain its crown by revealing its SmartOtoscope.

The Limerick schools will compete with 13 other finalists from counties Clare, Cork, Kerry and Tipperary at the event in the RCI, one of the most high-tech research centres in Europe. RCI is a state-of-the-art facility next to the University of Limerick campus.