RachaelRyan inJamesDyson awardhunt

A Drogheda graduate has qualified for the international stage of the prestigious James Dyson Award for 2018.

Rachael Ryan has just graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a degree in product design and her team’s project Tide has been chosen to represent Ireland for the international phase of the prestigious James Dyson Award 2018.

The project is one of just three Irish product inventions to progress to the international stages of the competition.

Rachael’s team members include Olivia Holbrook, Jane Devine & Jack Griffin. Their inspiration for the project came from the ever-increasing number of refugees worldwide and the implications of displacement on their basic daily needs. Through initial research, it became obvious that the menstrual needs of women and girls were being ignored – they had no way of acquiring sanitary products. Most females will have had the experience of being caught without sanitary protection on a rare occasion which is highly distressing. Considering that displaced girls experience this every day of their period every single month is horrifying.

Tide will compete with students from 27 other countries to win the overall James Dyson award and the grand prize of €33,500. Dyson engineers will announce the top 20 international finalists on the 18th October and the overall global winner will be selected by James Dyson himself and announced on the 15th November 2018.