Laois female university students win STEM industry scholarships

Two female Laois students at the University of Limerick have receive scholarships as part of Johnson & Johnson’s WISTEM2D Awards Programme

Laois students Aoife Rigney and Phoebe Makim, both from Portlaoise, were among the students from University of Limerick to receive scholarships at a ceremony held at Johnson & Johnson’s Limerick campus on December 8.

Aoife is studying Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry, while Phoebe is studying Industrial Biochemistry.

The ceremony was part of Johnson & Johnson’s  Women in STEM2D Undergraduate Award Programme in partnership with Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software, headquartered at the University of Limerick.

It is the seventh year of the awards which recognise outstanding female students in STEM2D disciplines: Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, Manufacturing and Design.

Aoife and Phoebe were among 16 students from UL to receive the award. 

Each received a student award, industry mentoring and leadership training, along with the opportunity to attend career workshops, visit Johnson & Johnson sites and participate in WiSTEM2D events designed to support them with pursuing future STEM careers. 

The Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D programme fuels the development of the female STEM2D talent pipeline by awarding and sponsoring girls and women at critical points in their educational experience and their careers, in STEM disciplines.

The Undergraduate programme was first introduced at University of Limerick in 2016. Since then, it has expanded to include University College Cork in 2018, and University of Galway in 2021, and Munster Technological University in 2022, supporting more than 400 female students over the last 6 years.

The University of Limerick students selected to receive the scholarships are: 

Amy Switzer; Industrial Biochemistry; Naas, Kildare
Aoife Rigney; Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry; Portlaoise, Laois
Aoife Walsh; Biomedical Science; Clonmel, Tipperary
Ashling O'Neill; Food Science and Health; Killarney, Kerry
Cora Brennan; Biomedical Engineering; Nenagh, Tipperary
Emer Gibbons; Industrial Biochemistry; Castlebar, Mayo
Eva McMahon; Industrial Biochemistry; Ardnacrusha, Clare
Grace Joyce; Biomedical Engineering; Salthill, Galway
Jennifer Cazabon; Bachelor of Materials and Architectural Technology; Moycullen, Galway
Niamh Doran; Bachelor of Materials and Architectural Technology; Newbridge, Kildare
Niamh McMahon; Electronic and Computer Engineering; Kilfenora, Clare
Nikola Stevankova; Applied Physics; Ballysimon Road, Limerick
Phoebe Makim; Industrial Biochemistry; Portlaoise, Laois
Sinead Coll; Mechanical Engineering; Castlebar, Mayo
Victoria De Brun; Bachelor of Materials and Engineering Technology; Blessington, Wicklow
Zuzanna Reczuch; Construction Management and Engineering; Castleconnell, Limerick

John Lynch is Plant Leader, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland.

“On behalf of Johnson & Johnson, I would like to congratulate the University of Limerick recipients of the WiSTEM2D award for this academic year. I hope that they enjoy all the benefits that the programme has to offer in supporting their career development, from visits to our sites to see STEM in action, to the opportunity to engage with a Johnson & Johnson mentor.

"As a company, we are committed to helping to build a diverse STEM2D workforce, and we recognise the importance of supporting women early in their careers. We are delighted to continue working with University of Limerick, who were the first Irish institution to join this programme in 2016, and further reinforce our dedication to developing a pipeline of diverse STEM leaders for the future.”

Dr Katie Crowley is Funded Investigator in Lero, and lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems who is leading the programme for the University of Limerick this year.#

“On behalf of the University of Limerick, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to this year’s recipients of the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D award. The programme sponsors and supports female STEM2D students to excel in their careers, and encourages them to be role models for their peers. This is an amazing achievement that each awardee should be very proud of. I have no doubt you will excel in the programme and be excellent ambassadors for the University and women in STEM,” she said.

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The awards ceremony was held at Johnson & Johnson Technology Services EMEA, Limerick and was attended by Professor Shane Kilcommins, Provost and Deputy President at University of Limerick; Dr Tabea De Wille, Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, University of Limerick; Anna Rafferty, Director of Strategy, Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland; Jenna Bromell, Process Engineer at Johnson & Johnson Vision; and Kieran McSherry, Senior Director, Global Manufacturing & Projects Engineering, Johnson & Johnson Vision.

Recipients of the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Award scholarship were also presented with bespoke framed glass artwork created by Fermoy-based artist, Suzanne O’Sullivan.