Former Miss Universe Ireland Fionnghuala O’Reilly wants children to reach for the stars and be scientists

Former Miss Universe Ireland 2019 Fionnghuala O’Reilly has added another string to her bow as a correspondent for a US television series that encourages youngsters to pursue a career in science, technology, and engineering.

Fionnghuala O’Reilly, a Washington-based systems engineer and director of Nasa’s Space App Challenge, has taken up a role as a correspondent on the Emmy-nominated television series Mission Unstoppable.

The show aims to inspire girls and boys to choose careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the so-called STEM subjects.

The Irish premiere of the CBS series is to be streamed online as part of STEPS Engineers Week here from February 27 to March 5. Five exclusive episodes from the series will be available for students, teachers and families to watch during Engineers Week 2021, which takes place in a virtual setting for the first time.

“Mission Unstoppable strives to empower young women and showcases the many ways they can impact the world through careers in STEM,” Ms O’Reilly said.

“By providing children at home with the opportunity to explore great feats of engineering, technology and science by watching female STEM innovators on screen, we can send a clear message that a career in STEM offers all young people, regardless of gender, the opportunity to influence and engineer the world around them.”

Ms O’Reilly is an ambassador for Engineers Ireland’s STEPS programme, which encourages youngsters to pursue engineering as a career. She has also donated STEM educational resources to three schools in the north Dublin area to support further engagement and outreach.

The television series can be viewed online by logging on to engineersireland.ie/schools/engineers-week, which also features additional resources for teachers, parents and children.