A FORMER St Flannan’s College student has been awarded a prestigious €20,000 scholarship to support his continuing studies.
Jack Browne, who is now studying Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of Limerick, has been named as a winner of the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards.
Reacting to the award, Jack told The Champion, “I am delighted to receive this amazing opportunity from the Naughton family. I am also so grateful for the support, interest and encouragement of my family and my teachers, in both Inch National school and St Flannan’s College, especially the outstanding science department in St Flannan’s.”
This isn’t the only time that Jack’s out of this world talents have been acknowledged. He was a member of the St Flannan’s College Design team which won a major international prize in the NASA Ames Space settlement Design Competition in 2019.
St Flannan’s teacher John Conneely said, “The staff and students at St Flannan’s College have sent their congratulations this week to former student Jack Browne who has been awarded a prestigious Naughton scholarship, worth €20,000.
“The Naughton Scholarships promote the study of engineering, science and technology and are a recognition of a student’s achievements in this area.”
He added that all of St Flannan’s College is very happy to promote the Naughton Scholarship within the school.
Supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards are an investment in the future of Ireland’s reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science and technology at third level.
Founding patrons, Dr Martin Naughton and his wife Carmel recently announced the winners of the 2021 awards.
Since its establishment in 2008, scholarships worth over €4 million have been awarded to over 330 students.
The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016.
There is one guaranteed scholarship (€20,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship.
Each scholarship is worth €5,000 per annum for each year of a student’s three or four year undergraduate degree. Traditionally the awards are presented by the Naughtons at a ceremony with the students’ schools and families in attendance but as a result of current restrictions this event was unfortunately deferred again for this year.
Jack joins 37 exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology and maths.
More than 200 schools have also benefited from this prize to date with some schools receiving it on more than one occasion.
As well as Jack’s scholarship, St. Flannan’s College received a prize of €1,000 towards their school’s science facilities.
Speaking about the growth of the programme over the past 12 years, Dr Naughton commented, “We have been awarding scholarships to encourage and reward students for their undergraduate studies in the STEM area since 2008.
“After the difficult academic year that 2021 was, we are particularly delighted to announce this year’s scholarship winners and their schools. We are both really looking forward to celebrating with them in person in the future and welcoming them to our growing community of Scholars and Alumni.”
The Naughton Foundation are continuing to support a number of programs that promote STEM education to students of all ages in Ireland.