BD STEM Stars: Pictured at the launch of the competition in Salesian Secondary School, Pallaskenry, are Scientist Teacher Clare Sheehy, Gerard Heavenor-Cronin, Conor White, Padraig Fitzgerald, BD RCI Site Director, Kate Herlihy and Scientist Teacher Annie O’Callaghan. Photo by Alan Place
Win €10k for your school with BD STEM Stars competition
School children in Limerick have the opportunity to step up and use the appliance of science to win €10,000 for their school.
BD Research Centre Ireland (RCI), the global medical technology company in Limerick’s National Technology Park, has launched a new school competition, BD STEM Stars, which is open to secondary school students throughout Limerick and Clare.
Students are invited to identify a key health problem that affects the community around them and demonstrate how they could solve or improve this problem through the STEM subjects.
The competition is open to secondary school students and the winning entry will receive a cash prize of €10,000 for their school to use within STEM education.

Pictured at the launch of the competition in Salesian Secondary School, Pallaskenry, are Scientist Teacher Clare Sheehy, Gerard Heavenor-Cronin, Conor White, Padraig Fitzgerald, BD RCI Site Director, Kate Herlihy and Scientist Teacher Annie O’Callaghan. Photo by Alan Place
There are also two runner-up prizes of €5,000 each for STEM education in the schools. To assist in getting students engaged in the competition, BD has created a dedicated website containing all the information needed including tips and advice for both students and teachers when they are creating their entries.
Submissions should be as creative as possible and should demonstrate how the student/s came up with the health topic, what the issue or problem is, what ideas they have to solve it and how the STEM subjects can be applied in coming up with a solution.
Padraig Fitzgerald, BD RCI’s Site Director, said, “At BD RCI we are passionate about the STEM subjects and want to help teach students that Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths are not just for the classroom or the lab, they are part of everyday life and can greatly impact our health.”
“We are looking forward to seeing how the future scientists and engineers in our community unleash their creativity and demonstrate the STEM skills and knowledge that they can bring to the area of health,” he added.
Using video, photography, audio, Powerpoint or a Google Docs presentation (or a combination of the above) students are invited to propose how they would go about solving the health problem – through the use of the STEM subjects. The closing date for entries is Friday, October 25.

Pictured at the launch of the competition in Salesian Secondary School, Pallaskenry, are Scientist Teacher Clare Sheehy, Gerard Heavenor-Cronin, Conor White, Padraig Fitzgerald, BD RCI Site Director, Kate Herlihy and Scientist Teacher Annie O’Callaghan. Photo by Alan Place
For more information about BD STEM Stars click here.
For more stories on STEM click here.