Limerick STEM Stars bid to shine brightest

Ryan O'Rourke, 27 Mar

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!

READ MORE: Young Limerick change-makers awarded project funding

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.