UCC student wins BIS Student Graduate of the Year and Most Innovative Final Year Project awards

The Business Information Systems (BIS) program, at the Cork University Business School, at University College Cork has announced that Neasa Goulding has been awarded BIS Graduate of the Year for achieving the highest academic results across the cohort.

In addition, she has also been honoured with the prestigious Final Year Project Award for delivering the year’s most innovative and impactful project.

Neasa’s exceptional academic performance has consistently set her apart throughout her studies, culminating in this top recognition among her peers.

Her final year project, entitled Athena AI, impressed for its innovative approach to solving real world business and technology challenges.

“Neasa is an extraordinary student and a deserved dual winner of BIS Graduate of the Year and FYP of the Year,” said Dr Ciara Fitzgerald, Programme Director BIS.

“Her FYP exemplifies the vision of the BIS programme where technology can solve real life problems and create opportunities for spectacular success”

Neasa for her award winning project developed an AI-powered Learning Management System (LMS) that provides college students with a wide array of personalised study experiences - ranging from AI-driven summarisation and quiz generation to various conversion modes. She demonstrated exceptional creativity, technical insight, and industry relevance.

In response to receiving the awards, Neasa said: “I am incredibly honoured to receive these awards alongside such an outstanding group of students. I’m grateful to the BIS programme for an amazing four years - the education provided is leading-edge in today’s technology-driven world and is a credit to the university, lecturers and programme directors.”

These dual achievements highlight both her academic excellence and her ability to apply knowledge to meaningful innovation, reflecting the high standards of the BIS programme.

The BIS programme in the Cork University Business School at UCC is renowned for producing industry-ready graduates equipped with the skills to bridge the gap between business strategy and digital innovation. Its curriculum emphasises real-world problem solving, emerging technologies, and hands-on industry experience.

For more information, please contact: Dr Ciara Fitzgerald by email at: cfitzgerald@ucc.ie