A Laois student and Defence Forces member has been awarded Best Engineering project in Ireland, as well as being ranked in top 10% globally.
Stephen Cooper, from Portlaoise, is a South East Technological University’s (SETU) engineering graduate, received two awards at the Global Undergraduate Awards 2024 (GUA) for his academic performance at a summit in Dublin.
Stephen became the overall winner in Ireland across all engineering disciplines.
His project is also ranked in the Top 10% of engineering projects in the world. Stephen received the GUA Highly Commended Award having competed amongst a global cohort of students.
He was also awarded as the Ireland Regional winner for having the top performing submission in the Engineering category for his entry, ‘LIDAR Smart-Chair Navigator.’
In addition to Stephen’s academic success, he is a member of Irish Defence Forces.
His dedication, not only to his academic career, but to his role as a service member, demonstrates an extraordinary work ethic and commitment to carrying out all he does with excellence.
The Global Undergraduate Awards, established in 2008, is the world’s leading academic awards programme with over 100 affiliated institutions of higher education.
Under the patronage of President Michael D Higgins, GUA identifies leading creative thinkers and problem-solvers through their undergraduate coursework.
Students are judged anonymously by an international academic panel of over 500 expert judges from some of the world’s leading academic institutions.
Stephen received a first-class honours award on SETU’s Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic Engineering (Military Communications Systems), level 7, at the University’s Carlow campus, and recently celebrated his graduation at the University’s annual conferring ceremonies.
The bachelor’s course is a collaborative programme between SETU and the Communications and Information Services (CIS) Corps of the Irish Defence Forces (DF) that was developed in 2005 and is available to all members of the Defence Forces.
“I am thrilled to have received these awards from the Global Undergraduate Awards 2024,” Stephen said.
“I’d like to thank my project supervisors, Keith Smyth at SETU, Sergeant Keith Houlihan, and Commandant James O’Neill of the CIS School at the Curragh, for their immense support and guidance throughout this project.”
“I am also deeply grateful to the Defence Forces for giving me the opportunity to show my potential and supporting my development in electronic engineering.
“My father, Noel Cooper, sparked my interest in electronics and problem-solving, and his influence has been fundamental to my journey.
“I feel that innovation in assistive technology is incredibly important for creating a more inclusive world and enabling these technologies to be more accessible and affordable for all wheelchair users.”
Dr Donnacha Lowney, former Head of Department (Carlow) of Electronic Engineering and Communications commended Stephen for his “amazing achievement,”
Keith Smyth, SETU lecturer and one of Stephen’s supervisors, said: “Huge congratulations to Stephen on his GUA wins.
“I’m massively proud of the hard work that he has put in to bring his project to fruition and it was a privilege for Sgt Keith Houlihan and myself to supervise Stephen and to offer him our support throughout the process.
“Stephen exemplifies the SETU’s values as a student committed to excellence who also has a keen sense of community and service.”
SEE ALSO – LoveLaois Podcast: General Election discussion as we introduce our panel
