Skip to main content

DkIT Inspires Transition Year Girls to Explore STEM Careers with "Totally Yours Cosmetics" Roadshow

22 January 2025

The DkIT LOVES STEM team hit the road in early January to empower over 400 Transition Year girls in five schools to explore the dynamic world of STEM. This year, the roadshow introduced a range of innovative, exciting, hands-on STEM activities specifically designed to capture the interest of female students. Participating students competed for STEM roles in a fictional company, aptly named Totally Yours or TY Cosmetics.  

The workshops gave participants the opportunity to explore various STEM careers through the process of creating and selling cosmetic products. Led by Dr. Orla Sherlock and Maryellen Kelledy from the School of Health and Science and the School of Engineering at DkIT, the Totally Yours Cosmetics project provided a unique, interactive, female focused experience. 



Throughout the workshop, students faced three exciting challenges that showcased their key STEM skills such as problem-solving, maths, and creativity. These challenges, which included cosmetic puzzle solving, TY ball gift box preparation, a STEM escape room and New Product Design allowed the girls to step into the roles of STEM professionals like Formulation Scientists, Chemists, Microbiologists, Product Engineers, Product Technologists and Financial Analysts —careers they might not have previously considered. By participating in these challenges, students gained valuable insights into the wide range of STEM careers available to them, all while having fun and gaining practical experience in a creative industry.  

A follow up DkIT campus day will take place in May, where a lucky 100 TY Girls inspired by the roadshow will be given an opportunity to meet the remainder of the DkIT loves STEM team and get hands on experience in Computing, Maths, Technology, Science, Engineering, Health and Physical Activity, and Film and Media.  

Dr Orla Sherlock, a lecturer in the Department of Life & Health Sciences at DkIT said:  

“In collaboration with my colleague Maryellen and with the support of colleagues Paul Durcan, James Connolly, Harry Donnelly, Ryan Duffy and Donna O’Connor, we have developed a series of STEM based activities to challenge students, while enabling them to showcase their STEM skills to build confidence. By competing for roles within our “TY Cosmetics” company, we can highlight STEM careers to participants in a current relevant way and the workshops helped students gain an understanding of key STEM roles.  It was wonderful to have the opportunity to share our ideas with so many students and open their eyes to the opportunities awaiting them in STEM careers.”  

The project was part funded by the Society of Microbiology, UK who awarded Dr Orla Sherlock funding to create the workshop activities. For the third year of this fantastic initiative, the ‘DkIT Loves STEM’ team visited Our Ladys College Greenhills, Drogheda, Inver College, Carrickmacross, St Vincent’s, Dundalk, Breifne College, Cavan and St Louis, Carrickmacross, to discuss the opportunities available in STEM and explore its place in our lives and potential future career opportunities. 

In addition to activities, leading female academics from DkIT, who specialise in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths met with the students to share their own experiences and career journeys within the STEM industry. 

Despite STEM being one of the fastest growing and most in demand sectors in Ireland, only 1 in 4 people working in STEM are women. This DkIT roadshow was run in conjunction with iWish, a community committed to showcasing the power of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths to teenage girls, who the Institute have been proudly partnering with since 2023. Research by the organisation in 2024, found that 53% of girls lack confidence in their ability in STEM subjects and over 40% cited lack of access to female role models in this area as a barrier. However, 85% of students surveyed said they were interested in STEM and 89% wanted to know more.  

Speaking after the roadshow Maryellen Kelledy, Department Engineering at DkIT said:  

“It is wonderful to see the continued success and increasing interest in the DkIT Loves STEM roadshow. Each year we hear from more and more secondary schools hoping to take part and encourage their female students to consider the value of a career in STEM. We want to ensure that each student achieves their potential in an area they are passionate about. It was a privilege to share our stories with so many TY students locally and we can’t wait to see where they use their talents in the future. “ 

The DkIT Loves STEM workshops were highly praised by participants. Ultan Henry, Transition Year Coordinator at St. Vincent’s Secondary School in Dundalk, said, “The students really enjoyed the interactive nature of the workshop and found the topic highly relevant.

98% of the students who participated said that they really enjoyed the workshops and 92% said that they learned something new about STEM. Describing the workshop, some of the students attending said it was “fun and interactive, and it inspired me to explore STEM further,” while another said “I found it a great learning experience and a fun day at the same time. I learned a lot about STEM while going through the challenges.” 

Find out more about DkIT schools outreach visit 

 

All Media Enquiries

  • Marketing & Communications