Committee 2020/21

Aoibhin Sheedy – Auditor

Degree/Course of study: PhD in Biomedical Engineering, 1st year
Why STEM? I was very lucky to be able to sample engineering as a subject in TY and loved it. I had an incredible teacher (Mr. Monaghan, Tech Loughrea) who encouraged me every step of the way to take it as a LC subject and pursue to college level. I haven’t looked back since.
What you love most about your career: I chose to do biomedical engineering as it could directly translate into helping people. A device you design could one day save someone’s life or make their day to day that bit easier and knowing that is a big reason why I love my career. I also love that I get to be both creative (designing devices) and scientific (building and testing my designs) in the development of my devices.

Hannah Aris – Vice-Auditor

Degree/Course of study: PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Why STEM? I have always liked math, science and discovering how things work and how they can be applied to help others experience a better quality of life.
What you love most about your career: I love research because I get to read about the cutting-edge work being done worldwide in understanding the human body, and to apply what we know to learn more and generate innovative solutions to health problems facing people everywhere.

Ciara Casserly – Secretary

Degree/Course of study: Recently completed undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering, currently undertaking a master’s in Mechanical Engineering.
Why STEM? I chose engineering because I love maths and problem solving.
What you love most about your career: I get to design medical devices that can save people’s lives.

Jane McNamara – Public Relations Officer

Degree/Course of study: Biomedical Science, 2nd year
Why STEM? I chose STEM because I want to be part of the workforce tackling health problems and diseases in the years to come. I would love to be a part of the research community and for my contribution to potentially save and improve lives. I wanted to study STEM because I like applying my knowledge to real life situations.
What you love most about your career: My favourite part about my course would be Pharmacology, learning about really interesting diseases, drug therapies, drug development, and how we can use our knowledge to come up with new drug targets and treatments in the future.

Katie Mc Gettigan – Social Media Officer

Degree/Course of study: Undenominated Science, 1st year
Why STEM? Science was always my favourite subject in secondary school and I love how broad the range of careers is. I’ve always been a very curious person and I’m excited to see where my course leads me.
What you love most about your career: I love how the industry is constantly changing and moving forward. I also love that there is a career for everyone no matter how niche your interest of study and research is.

Rachel Clarke – Safety Officer

Degree/Course of study: Masters in Biomedical Engineering
Why STEM? I chose to study engineering because it allows me to use my creative and problem solving skills while learning about and using the latest innovative technologies.
What you love most about your career: I love Biomedical Engineering because it allows me to use my engineering skills to design medical devices that help save lives and improve the health of patients all over the world. The MedTech industry is continually growing and there are so many opportunities both in Ireland and abroad!

Niamh Ward – Entertainment Officer/Post-Grad Rep

Degree/Course of study: PhD in Biomedical Engineering, completed bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at NUIG
Why STEM? I chose to study biomedical engineering as it combines my interests in maths and science and also allows me to be creative in designing new solutions to medical problems.
What you love most about your career: As a medical student, I love that I can apply the theoretical concepts that I learned during my undergraduate degree to investigate new ideas and design medical devices to improve people’s lives!

Yashitha Agarwal – Post-Grad Rep

Degree/Course of study: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Master’s
Why STEM? Even as a kid, computers have always fascinated me ever since I laid my hands on them. With maturity, my fascination gradually grew into a strong passion for programming, which led me to pursue a degree in AI.
What you love most about your career: The thing I love most about AI is its potential to make our lives better, and its broad range of applications across multiple sectors!

Steffi Zimran Jebaraj – Treasurer

Degree/Course of study: Master’s in Regenerative Medicine
Why STEM? I believe that a course in STEM helps channelise our abilities and expertience towards the direct betterment of mankind at large.
What you love most about your career: I wanted to gain an opportunity to work towards developing treatments for diseases that cannot be cured with conventional drugs and thus picked Regenerative Medicine

Darla Faye Cooper – First Year Rep

Degree/Course of study: Undergraduate General Science
Why STEM? I chose to do a STEM subject because I have always had a love for understanding how the world works and why things exist. I found my true passion in science.
What you love most about your career: My favourite thing about my career is that I am constantly learning new things.

Melissa McDaid – First Year Rep

Degree/Course of study: Biomedical Science
Why STEM? I chose to do a STEM subject because of the endless amount of both career and academic opportunities. You’re never tied down to just one area in science!
What you love most about your career: Not only will I always have opportunities for research and discovery, I will also get to help people whether that be directly or indirectly having an effect on their treatments and recovery from illness.

Laoise Murray – Ordinary Committee Member

Degree/Course of study: Science, Medicinal Chemistry, 3rd year
Why STEM? I chose to study science because of the many different career pathways and opportunities a degree in science offers.
What you love most about your career: My career is ever-changing, there is always room for improvement and development and opportunities to learn more!

Aoibhinn Kennelly – Ordinary Committee Member

Degree/Course of study: 1st Year Biomedical Science
Why STEM? I chose to do a STEM course as I am very interested in neuroscience and would love to pursue a career in research in the future.
What you love most about your career: What I love most about science is having the opportunity to help people while learning new things about the brain and all of its complexities.

Marissa Britton – Engineering Officer

Degree/Course of study: PhD, Biomedical Engineering
Why STEM? I chose to do a STEM subject as I always had a great interest in maths and science. I thought the best thing to do in college was to combine them and study engineering.
What you love most about your career: My favourite thing about my chosen career is that I am constantly being challenged and presented with new ideas.

Abi Oyeyemi – Science Officer

Degree/Course of study: M.Sc. Biotechnology
Why STEM? I’ve always loved science from a young age. I love how science is all around us! And how intricate all the biological and chemical processes are, even though they are invisible to the naked eye they make such a difference to everyday life.
What you love most about your career: Being involved in the development of pharmaceuticals is so great. You get to see the huge positive impact science has in the lives of many through therapeutic drugs and treatments. It really is fulfilling work :).

Laura O’Donnell – Technology Officer

Degree/Course of study: 3rd year Computer Science & IT, with a focus on maths
Why STEM? I chose to study computer science because I absolutely love programming, which relies heavily on logic and mathematical methods. I love learning about how to apply these abstract methods to real-life scenarios, and I love the feeling that comes with solving a particularly challenging problem.
What you love most about your career: My favourite part about working in the tech industry is that it is constantly evolving. New languages, software, methods and devices are being invented all the time, so working in tech requires that you are always learning, always adapting to changes in the industry, and this is really exciting and fun! I really enjoy learning new things, so getting a career where I can continue learning as I work is really important to me.

Emma Urquhart – OCM

Degree/Course of study: 2nd year Computer Science
Why STEM? I have always enjoyed studying maths and physics and I’m really interested in programming, so I decided to study Computer Science in college. I hope to work on developing cutting-edge technology in the future!
What you love most about your career: I really enjoy learning about the latest advancements in computing and technology. I find the area of Artificial Intelligence particularly interesting, and I’m excited to see what the future of AI will bring to society!