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Well done, well done, VERY well done to Clogherhead Brownies, Co Louth, on being crowned Ireland’s Top Brownie Engineers!
Following a call out by Engineers Ireland earlier this year to find Ireland’s top Brownie engineers, Clogherhead Brownies got to work to come up with an innovative engineering project that could be commercially produced.
They submitted an engineer’s design drawing and a description of the project as well as an investment amount required to develop their project. They also supported this with evidence that the water conservation project they devised would be beneficial to their community.
The girls were delighted to be awarded the title of Top Brownie Engineers on 16 May at a special event at Walshestown National School where most of them are pupils and to be presented with a prize of a STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) voucher for a professional workshop for their entire Unit.
Speaking about their project entry, Brownie Team Leader Aoife McGovern, said: “I’m really happy to have won! I’ve learned a lot more about saving water and realise how saving water is so important. I am happy to have been a part of it and I liked working with the team on the Lego project, which gave me the idea for the entry.”
Congratulating Aoife and Clogherhead Brownies, Caroline Spillane, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “I’d like to offer my congratulations to Aoife and her Brownie Unit for their innovative entry. Engineering is about working collaboratively, being creative and finding new ways to solve problems and each team member displayed these qualities in abundance.”
Finola Dunne, Clogherhead Brownie Leader, commented: “Working towards the Engineering Badge and doing the projects really gave the girls an insight into how engineering impacts almost every aspect of their lives. They used Lego to build, to programme sensors using a tablet, and they invented water conservation prototypes. Engineering is not such an alien concept now! I hope that doing this badge and the Engineers Week Challenge, will empower some of the girls to consider doing some form of engineering later in life.”
Helen Concannon, Irish Girl Guides Chief Commissioner, said: “Irish Girl Guides is a movement that always strives to move with the times and remain relevant to young people while challenging stereotypes. We believe in our girls’ capabilities and want them to develop their STEM skills as well as a wide range of other life-skills. If we want to solve the world’s challenges, we must ensure that both boys and girls can aspire to become engineers.”