Banagher student tastes BT Young Scientist success

Offaly had some success at the 49th BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which ran in Dublin's RDS from January 9 to January 12 last. Banagher College Colaiste na Sionna student Jeremy Rigney - who is also a Coder Dojo mentor - picked up third place in the intermediate individual technology section with his project looking at the effectiveness of games based learning versus traditional classroom methods. Other nearby success stories at the exhibition include a group from Athlone's Marist College, which claimed second prize in the intermediate group technology section of the competition with a project entitled "Infra-Reddy, Steady, Go!" The overall winners of the 2013 BT Young Scientist and Technology competition were named on January 11 as third year students Ciara Judge, Emer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow from Kinsale Community School in Cork. The trio took home the top prize for a project entitled "A statistical investigation of the effects of Diazotroph bacteria on plant germination". Meanwhile Edel Browne from Galway was presented with the best individual prize at this year's competition. A student at Presentation College in Galway, Edel's project focussed on a device to reduce the freezing of gait in Parkinson's diease. The award for individual runner-up went to Shauna O'Neill from Scoil Muire gan Smal in Roscommon. Shauna's project looked at the effect of static magnetic fields on molecular and macroscopic properties of water. Competition winners were announced by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn and CEO of BT Ireland Colm O'Neill. The overall winners got a cheque for €5,000 and a Waterford crystal trophy as well as the opportunity to represent Ireland at the 25th European Union Young Scientist competition in Prague in September. Almost 1,200 students from 31 counties covering 550 projects and 216 schools nationwide competed in this year's competition, while a crowd of approximately 45,000 passed through the doors of the RDS during the exhibition. BT Ireland CEO Colm O'Neill said the 2013 exhibition was "incredible", with more ideas submitted, more partners coming on board, excellent exhibits and more visitors. "It is becoming a real movement and gaining such momentum in its 49th year," he said. "We're delighted with the winning projects and would like to congratulate the winners on their achievements this week. We know, from experience, that this award will change their lives." Meanwhile Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said he was "greatly impressed" by the standard and calibre of this year's entries. "The creativity and innovation these young people have shown bodes very well for the future of science and technology in this country, one of the key growth areas we know will help rebuild our economy," he said. "I want to commend all the students involved, in particular the winning entries, but also their parents and teachers who have helped them come so far."