Students become Randox scientists and engineers for a day at STEM Challenge event
Over 50 students from across Northern Ireland celebrated International Women in Engineering Day on Friday 23rd June, by taking part in the first annual STEM Challenge event, hosted by global healthcare firm Randox Laboratories.
The students, from the Belfast Model School for Girls and Victoria College Belfast, joined female scientists, engineers, software developers and mathematicians from Randox, for a number of interactive activities organised to mark the special day, which is aimed at tackling the gender divide in engineering and other science, technology and maths-related disciplines.
Speaking at the event was Professor Máire O’Neill of Queen’s University Belfast – Professor in the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and former recipient of the British Female Inventors and Innovators Network’s British Female Inventor of the Year award.
Professor O’Neill commented;
“I’m really delighted to be here today at the Randox STEM event and to have the opportunity to speak with girls who could potentially be the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, software developers, and significantly, on today, International Women in Engineering Day, the next generation of female engineers.
“Engineering is not a job for men. The representation of engineering as a “masculine” job is a socially constructed one, and at that, an inaccurate one. The skills required for engineering are found just as readily in the young girls I see here before me today as they are in their male classmates – patience, analysis, communication, empathy and problem solving.
“Enabling these young girls here today to meet with female engineers from Randox provides them with really positive role models who can share their experiences and hopefully encourage the students to really consider what it is to be an engineer.”
The students had the opportunity to ask the Randox representatives all the questions they wanted to know about working in STEM, and were treated to a tour of the facilities at the recently acquired Randox Science Park, which has become the new headquarters for the company.
Linda Magee, Head of Human Resources at Randox added;
“We want young girls to know that engineering is as much a viable career choice for them as it is for their male counterparts. At Randox our female to male ratio of engineers is significantly higher than the UK average – 15.8% as opposed to only 9% – but we still have a long way to go and we feel quite strongly that we can utilize Randox’s status within the Northern Irish business sector to really spearhead a paradigm shift in how we view engineering disciplines.”
Mark Gray, Biology Teacher at Victoria College Belfast said;
“We were delighted to hear that Randox were hosting a schools event in support of their STEM campaign, to celebrate International Women in Engineering Day. It’s important to give girls the chance to get involved and gain hands-on experience within these different disciplines and deliver the message from an early age that they have the same opportunities as boys in every part of life, especially their careers.
“By giving them more information and explaining the benefits of STEM we’re opening the doors for girls into areas that they might not have considered before. We need to make certain that young girls have the right support and experience to choose the right job in their future professions and a campaign like this offers us the perfect opportunity to do so.”
The Randox STEM challenge on International Women in Engineering Day, Friday 23rd June, was the culmination of a week-long initiative celebrating women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths, and in leadership roles across Northern Ireland.
For further information contact Randox PR on 028 9445 1016 or email RandoxPR@randox.com
Randox teams up with top influencers and schools across NI to break barriers with their STEM initiative
Over 50 students from Northern Ireland are gearing up to take part in the first annual ‘STEM Challenge’ hosted at the Randox Science Park. The event, held on International Women in Engineering Day, will round off a week in which the global diagnostics company will unveil a number of initiatives to celebrate and promote women in STEM.
The ‘STEM Challenge’ is aimed at tackling the gender divide and skills gap in the science, technology, engineering and maths industry. On average in the UK women make up just 9% of the engineering workforce. Though Randox is bucking the trend with almost 16% of female engineers, it is still keen to challenge itself to encourage more women to view it as a viable career option.
The week kicks off with the launch of a returnership scheme which is being supported by the NI Chamber of Commerce. This was inspired by the experiences of staff members who returned to work after a career break, and meets a growing demand for a modern approach to recruitment. It will challenge society’s misconceptions surrounding career breaks and support both men and women in restarting their careers. As well as supporting individuals, a UK Government report found that increasing the number of women in work by just five per cent could create £750m extra in tax revenue.
Tackling the gender divide from the opposite end of the career ladder will be the focus at the end of the week. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 from the Belfast Model School for Girls and Victoria College will join R&D scientists and engineers at the new state-of-the-art Randox Science Park for a day of interactive sessions and talks to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day, 23rd June.
Welcoming the students and giving the first talk will be the renowned Máire O’Neill. The Professor of Information Security at Queen’s University Belfast and one-time British Female Inventor of the Year is an inspiring role model and passionate advocate for promoting STEM careers to girls.
The company is also hosting an evening to celebrating local role models in its flagship Randox Health clinic in Holywood. Guests will hear from Dorcas Crawford, senior partner at Edwards & Co., and Johann Muldoon, recently named Best Female Architect in Europe. Both women are recognised for their commitment to equality across industry and their own personal achievements in their fields.
Linda Magee, Global Head of HR for Randox said:
“This promises to be a tremendous week but more than that, it has the potential to have long-lasting benefits. We are pleased to be supported by so many inspiring women as well as the NI Chamber of Commerce.
“Randox is an important employer in the UK and also in Donegal. With our expansion plans comes a need to recruit the very best and brightest people. We hope that our schemes and initiatives will engage young people as well as those who are thinking about returning to work.”
For further information contact Randox PR on 028 9445 1016 or email RandoxPR@randox.com
We Are Randox | Randox QUB and UU placement students making their mark on global healthcare
A female scientist who has been working on the development of a test that diagnoses sepsis is one of the award-winning students in this year’s university placement scheme with Randox Laboratories.
The breakthrough sepsis test is being created by the Randox Molecular Diagnostics team, which Sarah-Louise Morrow from Belfast joined in September. Her innovative work saw her win third place in the Science category at the company’s annual Pinnacle Placement Awards.
Sarah-Louise, a Biochemistry student from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), said:
“Sepsis is known as the ‘silent killer’, and the faster you can diagnose it the better for the patient. It was so inspiring working with a team here at Randox who are making such valuable contributions to global health and I couldn’t be happier that something I’ve worked on could save lives in the future.”
Now in its 26th year, the Randox placement programme is recognised internationally for providing world-class opportunities for students and graduates – one of the core reasons that the global diagnostics company was established in 1982. Thirty years on, its founder Dr Peter FitzGerald remains as committed as ever to championing new talent and driving innovation.
Between them, this year’s Randox placement students have spearheaded a number of new designs and projects which are being implemented across the company.
Catherine McCooke, a QUB Electrical and Electronic Engineering student designed a new UV radiation exposure detection mechanism; Shannon McKee, a Business Studies student at Ulster University, conducted highly advantageous market research into emerging markets such as Jamaica and Puerto Rico; and Katie Lawther, a QUB Microbiology student introduced a new cellular tissue storage and tracking system.
The title of Randox Placement Student of the Year 2017 went to Robin Walsh, a QUB student from Lisburn who developed a new chemiluminescence signal reagent which is currently being validated and will be shortly released for production.
The 22 year old’s new product delivers significantly positive effects on the chemistry testing carried out by the Randox New Technology team. It increases test output by a factor of three, saving costs and time which ultimately enables the faster delivery of results for patients.
On receiving his award Robin, who studies Chemical Engineering, said;
“The Randox Placement Programme has far exceeded my expectations. My manager and everyone else in my team have been so supportive and encouraging. I worked on high-level projects I wouldn’t have dreamed possible for a placement student to be involved with. I have gained so much experience during my time as I have been able to translate what I’ve learnt in university into a true working environment. I’ve no doubt this experience will set me apart from the competition in the future.”
Congratulating Robin and his fellow placement students, Jolene Jamison, Randox Placement Co-Ordinator said;
“Taking part in a meaningful placement scheme is one of the most important things a student can do. The young people who are selected to join our programme are given the opportunity to carry out ground-breaking research and development, often working with pioneering technologies that are exported globally.
“The scheme is highly valued by the company so it’s important to take time at its end to celebrate our students. We’re very proud of them all – their contributions are going to make a real difference to global health.”
For the first time two of the Randox Placement award winners were selected from the APEX scheme that Randox runs with UU and QUB. This innovative scheme, which enables applicants to submit “video CVS” on social media to showcase their own personalities, includes paid, full-time summer work experience after a student’s first year of studies, a year-long placement, and a full-time job offer upon graduating, should they obtain a 2:1 or above.
Catherine McCooke who won the overall prize in Engineering said:
“After winning a place through the APEX scheme, being awarded the top prize in Engineering at Randox is unbelievable. It’s particularly important to me because I feel very passionately that women should see that there are no barriers to succeeding as an engineer. I’ve worked incredibly hard with some inspiring people, and have felt respected and valued every step of the way.”
The incoming 2017 summer work experience marks the highest intake of APEX students in Randox so far. Anyone interested in applying for the 2018-19 scheme should email recruitment@randox.com.
The top students in the Randox Pinnacle Placement Awards 2017 were:
Science Category
Robin Walsh, Queen’s University Chemical Engineering – New Technology Evaluation Chemistry Team at Randox
Katie Lawther, Queen’s University Microbiology – Monoclonal Development Team at Randox
Sarah-Louise Morrow, Queen’s University Biochemistry – Molecular Diagnostics Team at Randox
Engineering Category
Catherine McCooke, Queen’s University Electrical and Electronic Engineering – R&D Engineering Team at Randox
Ruairi Laverty, Queen’s University Mechanical Engineering – R&D Engineering Team at Randox
Adam Fawcett, The Ulster University Electronic Engineering – Engineering Team at Randox
Business Category
Shannon McKee, The Ulster University Business – Regional Sales Team at Randox
Martin Conway, The Ulster University Marketing – Marketing Team at Randox
Alastair McIlveen, Queen’s University Computer Science – IT Team at Randox
Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to stay up-to-date with the hashtag #WeAreRandox for more Randox staff stories.
For more information about the #WeAreRandox initiative please contact Randox PR by email: randoxpr@randox.com or phone 028 9442 2413
Students at World Space Week discover opportunities for STEAM graduates in NI are increasing
“Opportunities for STEAM graduates in Northern Ireland are limitless” was the message from Randox at this year’s World Space Week. Students taking part in the UN event came together today in Armagh Planetarium to learn about the career pathways available to them in this industry.
Engineers, scientists and graphic designers in the world-leading diagnostics company have this year alone participated in creating a biochip that identifies risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease to designing the logo for this year’s Grand National as part of the company’s sponsorship of one of the world’s most popular steeplechases.
Randox has embarked on a significant recruitment drive following the announcement of a £161m investment in the Randox Science Park, at the site of the former Massereene barracks in Antrim and a €25m investment in Randox Teoranta, in Dungloe, County Donegal.
One of the people invited to address the students at the STEAM careers talk was 27 year old Sean Rafferty, a Software DevOps Team Leader. He joined Randox full-time two years ago after graduating with a first class honours in Computing Science from the University of Ulster.
“There has never been a better time to consider a career within the STEAM industry. Employer demand is growing, supported by top-level understanding that future economic success depends on increasing the number of highly-skilled STEAM workers. There is a rich variety of positions available and on a personal level, I love what I do in software design, particularly within problem solving.
“One of the key messages I can give to students is to avail of all opportunities to fully equip themselves for the work force, and participate in industry placements. A common concern reported in business surveys is that people lack that essential knowledge. Randox has always supported new talent through our competitive student and graduate programs which have been running for over 25 years. This year we had our highest intake and many of those people will secure full-time jobs with us once they finish.”
Randox is creating more than 1000 new jobs in software and mechanical engineering, life sciences and other fields over the next four years. To find the placement programme or job that suits you, please visit: http://careers.randox.com/
For further information, please contact Randox PR on 028 9445 1016 or email nicola.mchugh@randox.com
Randox welcomes record number of people to its student placement and graduate programme
71 people including scientists, engineers and IT specialists, from across the UK and Europe are taking the first steps in their Randox careers this week, as the company celebrates a record intake to its student placements and graduate programmes.
Now in its 26th year of providing student placements and 6th year for graduate programmes, Randox is recognised internationally for providing world-class opportunities for students and graduates – one of the core reasons that the global diagnostics company was established in 1982. Thirty years on, its founder Dr Peter FitzGerald remains as committed as ever to championing new talent and driving innovation.
Nadine McKerrow, who graduated this summer with a 2.1 in Biomedical Science from Ulster University, said,
“It’s always been my ambition to work for Randox because of the value it puts into R&D which is my speciality. Not only does it invest 16% of turnover into it – which is something very few companies do, but it’s also building the Randox Science Park which will house pioneering R&D labs. The research we do is going to make an incredible difference to saving lives and improving health, and I’m very proud to be part of the team.”
One of a number of people who have moved to Northern Ireland to take up a placement post is Ross Moir, a Chemistry student from the University of Edinburgh. He said,
“When I go into the lab, I am working beside people who came up with the test that detects Alzheimer’s – it’s incredibly inspirational. I’m not standing on the side-lines either – I’m getting right into the nitty-gritty of the work here. On-the-job experience with a company that is right now developing more new tests than any other diagnostics company in the world is an amazing opportunity.”
Randox founder Dr Peter FitzGerald said,
“I am pleased to welcome these ambitious and bright young people from across the UK and Europe to join the Randox team; they are key to continuing our success. It is no exaggeration to say that during the course of their careers many of them, through their innovative work in diagnostics within the labs at Randox, will save lives. The importance of supporting STEM students has never been so important, a fact recognised by business and political leaders across the world, and here at Randox we are delighted to be playing a significant part in that.”
University students across a range of disciplines take part in a 50-week placement with Randox. They gain invaluable experience in fields ranging from Business and Marketing to Biological and Life Sciences, Graphic Design to Mathematics and Physics, and Engineering to Computer Technology. At the end of their placements, subject to attaining a 2.1 degree or above, students are offered a full-time position in their chosen field.
Graduates enter a two-year programme, which is divided into a series of six-month placements, designed to provide a valuable insight into a variety of roles and departments. Many of the successful graduates who join Randox in full-time positions after this have progressed to attain senior positions within the Company.
