Five first year students from University of Limerick’s Faculty of Science and Engineering have been awarded a prestigious Naughton Foundation Scholarship worth ¤25,000 each to pursue their third level studies.
Michael McMaugh, Éabha Ní Choisdealbha, and Aaron Townsend, all studying Engineering, along with Daniel Aylward and Cornelius Kirby, who are pursuing Immersive Software Engineering, received Naughton Foundation Scholarships at a special awards ceremony held in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin.
Each prize winner’s former secondary school is also awarded ¤1,000 towards their science facilities.
After meeting with the students at UL to discuss their achievement, Professor Kenneth Stanton, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering said: "We are immensely proud of these five outstanding students who have earned Naughton Foundation Scholarships. Their achievement reflects not only their academic excellence but also their potential to make a significant impact in engineering and technology.
"These scholarships are an investment in Ireland’s future innovators. We are deeply appreciative to the Naughton Foundation for this generous support of emerging talent, and we look forward to supporting their journey here at UL."
The students are among 38 exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. The awards were presented at Trinity College Dublin by founding patrons of the Naughton Foundation, Dr Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, who were joined by Minister Jack Chambers, to present the students with their awards.
Since its establishment in 2008, the Foundation has presented over ¤8 million in scholarships to over 450 young people in publicly funded institutions across the island of Ireland.
The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed scholarship (¤25,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship and each scholarship is worth ¤6,000 for each year of a student’s threeor four-year undergraduate degree.
Dr Naughton said both he and his wife, Carmel, were delighted at the growth of the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Programme, and the incredible community of alumni who are doing "extraordinary work" in education, research and industry at home and abroad.
"When we meet these young engineers, researchers, and mathematicians, I am very happy knowing that we have invested in Ireland’s wealth creators and leaders of the future," he told the young scholarship recipients.