The audience of university staff, academics, employers and IAESTE alumni heard about students' IAESTE experiences in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Tunisia. From working in methane-powered energy plants in Prague, to designing buildings for arid, desert conditions in Tunis, the students had very different experiences but all gave fascinating portrayals of their time on IAESTE.
To end the evening, Nicholas Leonard, former IAESTE Ireland National Secretary, complimented all participants on the high standard of their presentations. Mr. Leonard also highlighted the contribution, both past and present, of IAESTE to education mobility throughout Europe and beyond, stressing the importance of international employment to personal development and maturation.
IAESTE Ireland Ninth Trainee of the Year Award 2010
In 2010 IAESTE Ireland arranged relevant, paid traineeships in 15 international destinations for 18 students from 7 universities across the country. Students from Galway swapped Eyre Square for traineeships in Japan, Australia and Sweden, while Dubliners left behind the Spire for summers in Ghana, Tunisia and Belgium.
On Wednesday 27 October, six of those students assembled in Wood Quay Venue, Dublin to report on their experiences on the IAESTE Programme, and demonstrate how they had developed personally and professionally as a result. The students gave accounts of their traineeships in Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic and the USA, and related the work experience they'd gained in the fields of Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering.
The presenters and judges on the night!
The judging panel had a tough decision to choose between six highly informative and enthusiastic presentations, but finally the Trainee of the Year title was awarded to Tomás Cahalan from the Dublin Institute of Technology. Tomás completed his Mechanical Engineering traineeship in the Technical University of Berlin.
Prizewinners Emmet Carolon (Third), Tomás Cahalan (First), and Emer Molloy (Second).
Second prize went to Emer Molloy, a Medicinal Chemistry student from Trinity College Dublin, who spent her summer working in the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague.
Emmet Carolan of NUI Maynooth took the third prize for his presentation on his traineeship in Computer Science at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne.
Congratulations to the winners and huge thanks to all the participants for providing us with such an interesting and enjoyable evening!
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IAESTE Ireland Trainee of the Year Award 2009
Participants in the Trainee of the Year Award 2009, with Léargas staff.
If you've ever wondered what it's like to design a Shanghai teahouse, test people (including yourself) for malaria, or find the vaccine you've been quietly working on suddenly soar in demand due to a flu epidemic - all while still a student - then the eighth annual IAESTE Ireland Trainee of the Year Award was the place to be.
On 25 November, seven students from around the country came together at the National College of Ireland to present their experiences of an IAESTE traineeship, and these were varied indeed. Students of Architecture, Science and Engineering took up traineeships in countries ranging from Serbia to China, and came back with fascinating stories to tell. In addition to the professional benefits of obtaining relevant, practical work experience in their fields of study, the students were introduced to a wide range of cultural practices and made lasting friendships with people of many different backgrounds.
After the presentations, the judging panel of Mr. Eamon Kinch (Chair, Léargas Board), Mr. Nick Leonard (Former Ombudsman, IAESTE A.s.b.l. & former National Secretary, IAESTE Ireland) and Mr. John Kirwan (IAESTE Trainee of the Year Award 2008 prize winner) had some difficult decisions to make.
Their decisions were:
Trainee of the Year title was awarded to Darren Tighe (right, receiving his award from John Kirwan. Also in the picture is Charis Hughes, IAESTE Ireland) a Chemistry student from NUI Galway who had a year long traineeship at Baxter Bioscience in the Czech Republic. - Second place went to Karen DeSay (Biomedical Science, DIT) who spent three months working at Asafo-Agyei hospital in Ghana,
- Third place went to Fionnuala Hayes (Process and Chemical Engineering, UCC) who did her traineeship in Helsinki University, Finland. Huge congratulations are due to the prize-winners and all the participants for providing a memorable and enjoyable evening.
The three Trainees, Karen DeSay, Darren Tighe and Fionnuala Hayes
The next Trainee of the Year Award will be held in November 2010. Participants must have completed an IAESTE traineeship to enter, and all are welcome at the event. For further details please contact the IAESTE office.
