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WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021 - Pictured above are Limerick recipients of the award, Therese Houghton, Aisling Daniels, Serena Nabasirye, and Claire Cooney. WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021 - Pictured above are Limerick recipients of the award, Therese Houghton, Aisling Daniels, Serena Nabasirye, and Claire Cooney.

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Sixteen UL students receive scholarships from the WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021

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WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021 – Pictured above are Limerick recipients of the award, Therese Houghton, Aisling Daniels, Serena Nabasirye, and Claire Cooney. 

Sixteen UL students receive scholarships from the WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021

By I Love Limerick Correspondent Ann Mc Donald

Sixteen students from the University of Limerick have been awarded scholarships at a virtual awards ceremony as part of the Johnson & Johnson WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021.


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Out of the 16 students, four are from Limerick – Aisling Daniels, studying Design and Manufacturing Engineering, Claire Cooney, studying Bioscience, Serena Nabasirye, Electronic and Computer Engineering, and Therese Houghton, studying Mechanical Engineering. 

WISTEM2D refers to Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing, and Design. The WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021 underlines J&J’s commitment to developing and implementing high-impact strategies to support female students undertaking STEM2D degree courses. 

The programme is run in collaboration with Lero – the Science Foundation Research Centre for Software and will provide the scholarship recipients with extensive industry mentoring and leadership training. 

Anna Rafferty, Johnson & Johnson WISTEM2D University Lead and Director of Strategy, Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland, said, “At Johnson & Johnson, we recognise that women are still under-represented in the STEM workforce in Ireland. Since 2016, Johnson & Johnson has supported nearly 300 female students across Ireland through the WiSTEM2D programme. As employers in the STEM2D industry, we are acutely aware of our responsibility to support these young women who will become future STEM leaders.”  

Jessica Dino, a UL graduate and aspiring astronaut, is a past recipient of the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Award Programme said, “Being accepted into the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D programme at UL was a pivotal step in my STEM career. With the support of a Johnson & Johnson mentor, I received guidance on what careers I could go into that aligned with my goals and grow as an engineer. 

“Upon completing my Electronic and Computer Engineering graduate degree, I was given the opportunity to interview for a graduate role and joined the company as an Automation Engineer at Johnson & Johnson Vision. During my free time, I am working on Citizen-Science projects backed by NASA, participate in analogue astronaut missions and one day would love to fulfill my ambition to become an astronaut.”

Currently, there are approximately 117,800 people in Ireland who are working in jobs that require STEM skills. However, the CSO reports that just 25% of these roles are performed by women, with just 5% in leadership roles.

While there has been a general upswing in the number of students choosing STEM subjects on their CAO applications, uptake among female students remains low, with a 2019 UCD study revealing that over 40% of males list a STEM course versus just 19% of females. 

Professor Ita Richardson, Principal Investigator in Lero, and Professor of Software Quality in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at UL said, “UL, through Lero, is delighted to partner yet again with Johnson & Johnson on their WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021. This year’s recipients will be role models for the generation of girls who are currently in primary and secondary school, and have potential to be leaders of the future.”

For more about the WISTEM2D Awards Programme 2021 go HERE 

For more stories about the University of Limerick go HERE 

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