St. Patrick’s Comprehensive School Shannon has emerged as a winner from the seventh annual BD STEM Stars competition for a cognitive support app to help people with early to mid-stage dementia.
Three students, Chloe O’Loughlin, Caoimhe Ashton and Biella Pulida, came together to create the app, having been motivated for personal reasons.
“We are developing a cognitive support app to help people living with dementia and as each of us have family members with dementia,” explained Biella. “We wanted to keep their independence and their daily routines so that’s why we came up with the app.”
The students put 12 months of effort into the app and walked away from the competition – organised by one of the world’s leading medtech companies, BD – with the Best Video Presentation award.
Some 16 schools made it to the finals, with the overall award going to Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee. But the St. Patrick’s Comprehensive School students – the only Clare team to make the finals – said the experience was as enjoyable as the win.
Said Chloe O’Loughlin, “It’s been great to see all the different projects and all the different ideas come together and how they’ve gone about solving different challenges.”
Her teammate Caoimhe added, “It’s great inspiration too, looking around and seeing people’s postcards and seeing their ideas. It’s amazing to see what other people can come up with.”
Held at the BD RCI site at the National Technology Park, Limerick, the seventh annual BD STEM Stars awards were presented by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD.
Approximately 60 students and teachers were involved in 16 shortlisted projects from counties Cork, Clare, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary attended the event.
Launched in 2019 and supported by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB), BD STEM Stars challenges students to devise solutions that positively impact delivery of healthcare — reflecting BD’s global purpose of advancing the world of health™. The programme aligns closely with Ireland’s national STEM Education Policy, which was introduced in 2017 and has been strengthened over the past decade to encourage greater participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects.
Addressing students and teachers from schools that made the finals, Minister James Lawless TD said, “The BD STEM Stars competition is an outstanding example of how industry and education can work together to inspire the next generation of innovators. Over the past decade, Government has prioritised the promotion of STEM subjects to ensure Ireland continues to build the skills base required for a modern, innovation-driven economy.
“Initiatives like this bring STEM to life for students, showing them how their ideas can have real-world impact, particularly in areas such as healthcare. They also ultimately help underpin the huge STEM related industry in Ireland through indigenous and FDI companies. I commend BD Research Centre Ireland for its leadership and continued investment in nurturing future talent. It is a best-case example of industry’s commitment to promoting the sector here.”
BD Research Centre Ireland Site Lead Owen O’Neill said, “We never ceased to be amazed by the desire, the commitment and the application of the students who enter this competition to have an impact on the world of STEM. Our mission in BD is all about advancing the world of health and we apply ourselves to that daily here in our Research Centre in Limerick, so to have students coming in here with that intent and with the quality of projects that they have built is hugely encouraging for the future.
“We are honoured also today have Minister Lawless attend the STEM Stars final. His presence underscores the importance of sustained collaboration between Government, educators and industry in building Ireland’s future STEM capability. Advancing the world of health starts with investing in people. Through STEM Stars, we are encouraging students to see themselves as future engineers, scientists and technologists — the very people who will drive the next wave of healthcare innovation.”
BD STEM Stars organiser Fionnagh Tsang said the standard of entries continues to rise each year. “Year after year, we are inspired by the creativity, research and problem-solving demonstrated by students. The vision set out in Ireland’s STEM Education Policy, which is all about young people and their ability to innovate, is clearly being realised. The projects we see today give enormous confidence in Ireland’s ability to remain at the forefront of global healthcare innovation,” she said.
Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board Director of Schools and Youth, Donncha O’Treasaigh said, “Limerick and Clare ETB is proud to support BD STEM Stars, which has become a cornerstone of the STEM landscape in Munster. The continued growth of the competition demonstrates the value of strong partnerships between education and industry. Together, we are helping students to see clear pathways from the classroom to exciting, impactful careers in STEM.”
BD is one of the world’s largest pure-play medical technology companies with a Purpose of advancing the world of health™ by driving innovation across medical essentials, connected care, biopharma systems and interventional. The company supports those on the frontlines of healthcare by developing transformative technologies, services and solutions that optimize clinical operations and improve care for patients. Operating across the globe, with more than 60,000 employees, BD delivers billions of products annually that have a positive impact on global healthcare. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase clinical efficiency, improve safety and expand access to healthcare. For more information on BD, please visit bd.com or connect with us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/, X @BDandCo or Instagram @becton_dickinson.
BD RCI (Research Centre Ireland) is a global R&D Centre of Excellence focused on advancing medical technologies and patient care. Our mission is to lead, create, and deliver transformative solutions that improve the quality of people’s lives through a culture of excellence. Supporting business units across BD’s Medical, Interventional and Connected Care segments, our teams develop a diverse portfolio of technologies — from infusion systems and pharmacy automation solutions to minimally invasive and interventional therapies, including biopsy and radiation delivery solutions, and urology and critical care innovations addressing conditions such as incontinence and kidney stones. Our co‑located teams of scientists and engineers collaborate across disciplines, enabling rapid innovation and knowledge sharing. Products developed at BD RCI are used globally, with a strong focus on the US and European markets.