Students from all over Ireland descended on the RDS in Dublin this week for the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which showcases research and innovation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). The event is being held in-person for the first time since 2020, following two successful virtual exhibitions.
Following judging by the 80 plus-person judging panel, the BT Young Scientist(s) and Techno-logist(s) of the Year 2023 will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 13th January at 5:30pm. The overall prize winner(s) will receive the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and be presented with a cheque for €7,500. The winner(s) will go forward to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Brussels in September.
St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow has two projects in the exhibition, ‘an inves-tigation into microplastic contamination, in both indoor and outdoor environments in the North Cork area, and potential health risks for humans’, and ‘an investigation into the biomechanics of heading a football, with implications for the design of protective, wearable technology for measuring and recording cumulative non-concussive cranial impacts’. St Mary’s has a proud record of achievement in the Young Scientist Exhibition, and best wishes go to the students who worked so hard on this year’s two projects.