At MakerDojo in Cork, two award-winning young scientists chat about the support needed to complete great science and technology projects.

IoT Makers Week graphic

The event marked the launch of MakerDojo workshops in Tyndall National Institute, where secondary-school students were invited to get hands-on with hardware, working with Arduino microcontrollers, LittleBits electronics kits and more.

Ciara Judge, a former BT Young Scientist champion, spoke to a fellow award-winning scientist at the event about the support systems needed for students to build such remarkable projects.

Ellie Hogan took home the award for Best Technology Project in the intermediate category at SciFest 2015 for an electronic device she made to check the viscosity and consistency of foods for people who have difficulty swallowing. She says a programme such as MakerDojo could have helped her by providing a grounding in how physical things work, beyond the science and theory.

Words by Elaine Burke

IoT Makers Week explores the internet of things revolution and the makers driving it with reports on Siliconrepublic.com from 5 to 9 October 2015. Get updates by subscribing to our news alerts or following @siliconrepublic and the hashtag #IoTMakersWeek on Twitter.