America beckons! Longford student to compete in US following win at Young Scientist Exhibition

An innovative young Lanesboro student whose invention won two prestigious awards at the recent Stripe Young Scientist Exhibition (SYSE) is set to take his apparatus stateside this May for a competition hosted by Biotechnology company Regeneron. 

Ronan Lyons of Lanesboro Community College was presented at the SYSE exhibition with the Regeneron Award (Technology) for his device CAPILL (Compliance Aid Promoting Independent Living Long-Term), a medicine dispenser designed specifically for people with reduced hand mobility arising from conditions such as arthritis, rheumatism and Parkinsons.

He also received an award for 'highly commended'.  

Award winning student Ronan Lyons with his invention CAPILL

Despite being in its infancy, CAPILL and its teenage founder are no strangers to success.  

Last year, his invention also won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award at Sci-Fest 2025.

This coming May, he will be taking CAPILL to America to compete in the Regeneron competition - the US equivalent of the Young Scientist Exhibition.  

Speaking to the Longford Leader, the ambitious Lanesboro Community College Leaving Cert student described his SYSE win as “surreal” even more so as it was completely unexpected. 

Recalling the inspiration behind his invention, Ronan said, “During work experience, I was working in my local pharmacy and I would've heard people saying how difficult it was to use blister packs, so it got me thinking about what I could do to help people with arthritis or rheumatism to access their medication.”  

The device, which holds a week's worth of medication, not only addresses the mobility issue, it also  ensures the patient receives the right amount at the right time. To access the pills, the patient must also scan their fingerprint. 

This ensures that only the intended person can access the medication, and eliminates the risk of a child doing so. 

The innovation doesn’t stop there either. Ronan explains, “I’m currently working on an app that helps family members and carers keep track of when the medication is taken and it also allows them to intervene if the patient doesn't take the medication on time.”

Having worked on the CAPILL prototype for around three years, Ronan’s dedication is admirable.

Once he finishes school, the son of Lanesboro Community School Deputy Principal, Michael Lyons, and Homeschool Community Liaison Officer, Mary O’Brien hopes to study engineering. 

TD Micheál Carrigy visiting Ronan's stand at the Young Scientist Exhibition 

Speaking about Ronan's SYSE success, school principal Hazel Hannon said “We’re incredibly proud of him but not a bit surprised.

"He has everything going for him in terms of his personality and his ability to communicate his vision and the workings of this apparatus and to do it as an individual, I think, is even more challenging because the project was all on him." 

“Yes, he has great family support and great school support, but ultimately it was on him, this achievement. When I visited him on Thursday, and saw the physical product itself, I said ‘you're going to be a worthy prize winner on Friday'." 

"He said to me, 'I don’t know, miss, we’ll see what happens', but I had this gut feeling he would win so when I got a text on Friday night saying he had won two awards - a highly commended and the Regeneron Award - well we were super proud of him."

“I think it's a testament as well to the great work that the staff are doing in the school around the area of science.” 

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