Mr wee reminds boys to lift the toilet seat

A MAYO student has scooped second prize in the GMIT Student Innovation Awards finals, which took place in the Mayo GMIT Campus in Castlebar, for her Mr. Wee invention.

Business student Lorraine Sotoparra, Foxford, was feted for her start-up product, Mr. Wee, a device that reminds boys to lift the toilet seat when they go to the bathroom and can be used as a training device for younger boys.

It is easy to install and remove, and can be customised with fun designs for different age groups.

Paul Sweeney, a fourth year student on the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Furniture Design and Manufacture, took the top prize, sponsored by Shell, for his stunning selection of bow ties which come in a range of hardwoods, complemented by textile design details.

Each bow tie is hand finished and hand stitched by Paul, resulting in a unique product of true originality.

The 24-year-old’s business start-up is called Woodbows by Paul. He and three other student teams, who competed in the GMIT finals, are now through to the national finals of the Enterprise Ireland Student Innovation Awards which take place in Dublin in June.

Each of the eight finalists had to pitch their start-up products and ideas before an external panel of experts in the GMIT final, modelled on the national pitch-style EI competition. The panel was comprised of Gillian Slattery of Enterprise Ireland, John Magee, Mayo Local Enterprise Office, and Peter Glynn, former business banking manager, AIB.

Maria Staunton, manager of the GMIT Innovation Hub, Mayo campus, and institute coordinator of the student innovation finals, said some 62 students and teams entered the competition this year, the highest number ever.