Clane Woman Awarded For Initiative Dedicated To Supporting Women In STEM Industries

The TrailblazHER project was recognised at the awards recently

A Clane woman has been honoured at the 2026 Diversity and Inclusion in Tech Awards for her initiative dedicated to girls and women, empowering numerous individuals to accelerate their ambitions.

The TrailblazHER project was recognised at the awards recently as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) category.

The project works with girls and women from schoolgirls to university students as well as with women developing their careers and returning to work.

Speaking on Kildare Today, winner of the award and Head of Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin, Claire MacNamee said it's important for girls and women to see a pathway for future careers:

"The idea is very simple, you're much more likely to pursue an opportunity if you can see someone doing it and if there's a practical route to get there.

Nominated by own of her colleagues, she said she was "shocked" to be announced as a winner on awards night for the project she launched in 2024.

"We all know that talent is everywhere, but that opportunity and encouragement isn't as evenly distributed. A girl might be brilliant at solving problems, but still rule out engineering or technology because she doesn't know what those careers involve and has never met a woman working in it."

"We want our work to open that picture up and give girls choices, it's not about telling every girl to do STEM, it's about increasing exposure so that when young people reach that point of deciding what do after second level, that they can make informed choices."

The project offers a wide range of scholarships, bursaries and mentorship programmes, aiming to "join the dots" between young people and industries.

"The links that we have out in the industry allows us to bring them into the classroom so that these girls can meet people working in these fields, it's a really thriving community."

Over 2,200 young girls and women have been reached since it's introduction, with ambitions for double that figure to be achieved in the next three years.

Claire also praised industry partners and companies who she says really care about inclusive workplaces, adding that more diverse and inclusive workplace environments can lead to greater retention as well as higher levels of innovation.

"Diversity is not just a buzz word or a trend, it's something that positively impacts industry outcomes, industries enables us in TU Dublin to reach all of these girls right around Leinster, and our goal in the next three years is to take TrailblazHER nationwide."

The full interview can be heard below: