UCC students awarded scholarships as part of Johnson and Johnson’s WiSTEM2D programme

The Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies in Ireland recently presented five students with scholarships as part of its Women in STEM²D (WiSTEM²D) Award Programme at a ceremony held in University College Cork (UCC).

The acronym WiSTEM²D refers to Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Manufacturing and Design. The WiSTEM²D programme underlines J&J’s commitment to developing and implementing high-impact strategies to support female students undertaking STEM²D degree courses at UCC and in universities around the world. 

Highlighting the importance of the WiSTEM²D programme for female students pursuing a career in one of the STEM²D disciplines, Alice Noel outlined the benefits of receiving the scholarship in 2019. “After receiving a bursary from J&J, I was able to significantly reduce the hours in my part time job which allowed me to focus more on college work. With the WISTEM²D programme I received a mentor who was able to offer invaluable advice and overall support throughout the year, both professionally and personally. I also spoke on a panel at a WiSTEM²D event which gave me the opportunity to meet with senior J&J executives and outline the impact of the programme on students.” 

Following the success of the inaugural J&J programme at UCC in 2019, a further five students have been selected this year to receive scholarships, following a rigorous application process and one-to-one interviews. This year’s five winning students are:

1.     Jenny Redmond, Chemical Sciences

2.     Saoirse Trought, Mathematical Sciences

3.     Ciara Hickey, Chemical Sciences

4.     Katie Phelan, Biological & Chemical Sciences 

5.     Caoimhe Doyle, Mathematical Sciences

Four runners-up in the scholarship awards will be assigned a J&J mentor as part of this year’s programme. A further seven students have received a bursary award, and they will also be assigned a J&J mentor this year. The mentors will support the students in their studies, afford them the opportunity to visit J&J sites across the country, and help them to develop their STEM²D networks.   

In a recent survey among UCC students, 76% agreed that women are under-represented in STEM²D fields. A keen focus for this year’s WiSTEM²D programme looks to address this by embracing the concept that an equal world is an enabled world. This is particularly true for young women pursuing a career in STEM²D. A further 85% of respondents agreed that mentorship is critically important to developing a career in STEM²D. 

The WiSTEM²D programme is unique in terms of offering young women studying STEM²D courses the opportunity to engage with women working in those careers. First-hand experience of site tours, mentoring, project and career workshops enable students to visualise exactly what it is like to have a career in STEM²D. 

Liz Dooley, Head of Biologics, Clinical Supply Chain at Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, said, “At J&J, we fundamentally believe in the idea that an equal world is an enabled world. The WiSTEM²D programme, along with the WiSTEM society here in UCC, both play a significant role in enabling young women who have ambitions of a career in STEM²D to build a peer network which will support their development. As employers in the STEM²D industry, we are acutely aware of the under-representation of women in the sciences workforce. We understand that we have a responsibility to support these young women who will become future leaders, and we take great pride in our involvement with UCC in supporting the next generation of STEM²D students.”

Professor Sarah Culloty, Head of the College of Science, Engineering & Food Sciences, UCC, said, “At UCC, we strive to bridge the gap that exists between male and female representation within the STEM²D industry. With J&J’s help, we believe that we can help nurture the minds of the female leaders that will drive future advances in STEM²D.”

Liz Dooley, J&J, presented the students with their scholarships and bursaries at the ceremony. Also in attendance were the award winners’ family members, J&J mentors and UCC academic STEM²D staff.