Errigal College make history with third National STEM title in four years
Students Aoibhinn, Hansika, Kadambari and Talia were named national winners of the Girls Go STEM challenge
Errigal College, Letterkenny, has made history after four students were named national winners of the Girls Go STEM challenge, securing the school’s third national title in just four years.
Aoibhinn, Hansika, Kadambari and Talia will now represent Ireland at the EIT Women and Girls in STEM Forum in Prague, following their success in this year’s national competition.
The students, under the guidance of their teachers Mr Evan Gorrell and Ms Pamela Zarb, impressed judges with their innovative project, B.L.O.O.M., which tackles space debris, one of the growing challenges facing the space industry.
This year’s Girls Go STEM challenge focused on the theme ‘Keeping space clean and safe.’ Students were asked to select a component used in space and redesign it so that, if it failed, it would produce as little harmful debris as possible.
The Errigal College team chose to focus on spacecraft separation systems, developing B.L.O.O.M. as a low-shock, zero-debris alternative to traditional separation systems. Their concept uses shape memory alloys to provide a cleaner and safer approach to spacecraft separation.
Mr Evan Gorrell said: “We are absolutely delighted for Aoibhinn, Hansika, Kadambari and Talia. They have shown incredible creativity, teamwork and commitment throughout the competition. To win the national title for the third time in four years is a fantastic achievement and is a testament to the talent and ambition of our students.”
“I would also like to acknowledge the support of Ms Pamela Zarb throughout this year’s competition, as well as Ms Marie Crossan for her work and support with Girls Go STEM in previous years.”
Principal Mr Danny McFadden said: “We are extremely proud of Aoibhinn, Hansika, Kadambari and Talia and delighted that they will represent Errigal College and Ireland at such an important international STEM event. Their success reflects the creativity, determination and talent of our students, and our continued commitment to encouraging young women to pursue opportunities in STEM.”
The students’ achievement continues Errigal College’s strong record in STEM education, with this year’s victory marking the school’s third national title in four years.
The school has also developed a strong reputation for promoting STEM opportunities, particularly for young women, through initiatives such as the STEM Passport for Inclusion, industry partnerships and its dedicated STEM Lab supported by OPTUM Ireland.
The students will now take their winning project to the EIT Women and Girls in STEM Forum in Prague, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their work and engage with other young people and STEM leaders from across Europe.