The awards, organised by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Transport for Ireland, recognise the innovative and sustainable transport ideas generated by students across the country.

Dr. Gareth Bennett Associate Professor, Mechanical, Manufacturing & Biomedical Engineering won his third Lecturer Special Contribution Award and many groups of Professor Bennett’s students from his Design (2MEMS3) and Universal Design Innovation (3B9) modules were finalists at the ceremony.

Professor Bennett stated:

“It is fantastic to see Trinity Engineering students excelling at this competition once again this year. The decisions our engineering students will make in their careers will influence the environment. We must help ensure they keep sustainability to the forefront of their actions”

Garreth Bennet awardProfessor Gareth Bennett accepting his Lecturer Special Contribution Award

 

The Finalists from Trinity College Dublin were:

  • The Alert project, with team members Alexandra Phelan, Cian Shanahan, Liam MacDougald, Sean Ryan, Alena Gerasimova and Oisin O’Neill
  • The Beacon project, with team members Craig Gillespie, Gráinne Lavelle, Michael Connolly, Simon Connell, Ailbhe Nic Cormaic and Tadhg Keller
  • The Droichead project, with team members Keela Duffy Naughton, Mark Brady, Sophie Dolan, Erin Hegarty and Ciara Mulligan
  • The BiClaw project, with team members David Allen-Taylor, Andrew Murphy, Michele Turco, Ashley Palermo, Zach Adeniyi, Rory Staunton and David Rock
  • The LeapLocker project, with team members Saoirse McGlinn, Alexandra Duffy, Artur Amolins, Eoghan Manning, Henry Gallagher and Spencer Brehhov

The ceremony, held at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield, announced the winners of various categories, with Trinity College Dublin teams securing two of the three awards in the Engineering & Innovation category.

Category 1: Engineering & Innovation: Technology

The Project "Beacon" team consisting of Craig Gillespie, Gráinne Lavelle, Michael Connolly, Simon Connell, Ailbhe Nic Cormaic and Tadhg Keller (from 2MEMS3) won with their innovative Beacon system. This system for Dublin Bus encourages those with visual impairments and other disabilities to use public transport by making it more accessible. Using the inbuilt map, Beacon facilitates users by navigating them to their bus stop, and communicates directly to the bus driver telling them when, where and who to stop for. The app also communicates any other additional requirements that the user could need (e.g. wheelchair ramp).

Beacon Project Team

 

Category 1: Engineering & Innovation: Design

Team “BiClaw” consisting of David Allen-Taylor, Andrew Murphy, Michele Turco, Ashley Palermo, Zach Adeniyi, Rory Staunton and David Rock won the Design category for their inventive bike storage device, designed to integrate into existing bus networks. The project aims to facilitate seamless transport between rural areas and bus networks, allowing commuters to bring their bike on board through an integrated storage system within the buses.

BiClaw Project Team

 

The winners received an environmentally sustainable laser-cut wooden medal, a certificate of achievement and one-for-all vouchers for each team member. The success of Trinity College Dublin's students in the Smarter Travel Student Awards is a testament to their innovation, creativity and commitment to sustainable transport solutions.

Find more information on the National Travel Awards and a full list of finalists and winners.

Smarter Travel Awards