Dublin student wins two major awards at Stripe Young Scientist for healthy eating project

A secondary school student from Coláiste Bríde, Dublin, has won two major awards at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, recognising her innovative project focused on improving young people’s relationship with food and nutrition.

Tegan Timmons was named winner of the SuperValu “Food for the Future” Award and also received third place in the Senior Individual category for her project, Nutritrack: Rethinking healthy eating.

The project impressed judges with its alternative approach to healthy eating apps, shifting the focus away from calorie counting and towards nutritional understanding. Nutritrack was designed in response to growing concerns about the impact of diet culture and calorie-focused apps on teenagers’ relationship with food.

Speaking about her motivation, Tegan said she wanted to challenge how existing apps frame food and eating. “I’ve noticed how calorie-counting and diet culture affect people my age, including people very close to me,” she said “I wanted to explore whether there was a healthier, more supportive way to help teenagers understand food and nutrients.”

Through surveys and research carried out as part of the project, Tegan found that many young people reported skipping meals or feeling anxious about eating based on feedback from calorie-tracking apps. These findings informed the design of Nutritrack, which seeks to support healthier habits without reinforcing restrictive behaviours.

The project was developed through Teen-Turn’s Project Squad programme, with Tegan spending hours refining her research and technical approach alongside her mentor Leona Egan at The Digital Hub in Dublin. As part of Project Squad, Tegan also presented her work at SciFest@Teen-Turn, where the project received recognition before going on to achieve success at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

Reflecting on Tegan’s progress, Leona praised her commitment and growth over the course of the programme. “Balancing schoolwork, extracurricular activities and a completely self-directed project was a real challenge,” she said. “Over time, Tegan developed strong organisational skills, confidence in her own thinking and a real sense of ownership over her work. By the time she presented at Stripe, she could clearly articulate her research, technical approach and the impact of her project.”

Commenting on the value of the experience Leona said: “Teen-Turn Programmes like Project Squad give students the time, support and confidence to take ownership of their ideas, develop resilience, and see that their work has real value beyond the classroom.”

Teen-Turn is a non-profit organisation that supports teenage girls to explore STEM through free after-school programmes, mentoring and hands-on projects. For ten years, through initiatives such as Project Squad, PLUS Club, Technovation, and Work Experience, students gain confidence, practical skills and insight into future education and career pathways in science and technology.

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