Offaly gets 7 awards in BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
Offaly students took home seven awards from the 50th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which took place in Dublin last week.
The competition’s overall winner was revealed last Friday afternoon as fifth year student Paul Clarke from St Paul’s College in Raheny, with a project entitled “Contributions to cyclic graph theory” that was entered into the senior section of the chemical, physical and mathematical sciences category of the competition.
Offaly was represented at the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition by students from Gallen Community School in Ferbane, Colaiste Choilm and Tullamore College in Tullamore, Oaklands Community School in Edenderry and Banagher College Colaiste na Sionna in Banagher.
Megan Addie Douglas of Oaklands Community College in Edenderry took second in her category of the competition - junior individual social and behavioural sciences. Her project looking at whether wind turbines affect people, animals or the environment also won a display award at the exhibition.
Jeremy Rigney of Banagher College Colaiste na Sionna also came second in his category. His project investigating the use of wireless sensor data to enhance martial arts performance got the honour in the intermediate technology category of the competition.
Colaiste Choilm’s Conor Walsh came third in the intermediate technology category with a project entitled “Gearduino”, which looked at an automatic gear system for bicyles controlled by a gearduino micro-controller.
A Tullamore College intermediate team of Lorcan O’Rourke, Gavin Mooney and Emma Kirwan won the Jack Restan Special Award for for their water leak detection system project that was entered in the technology category. The same team also won a display award.
Daragh Fogarty of Tullamore College was given recognition with a highly commended award for his senior chemical, physical and mathematical science project entitled “To P or not to P - A study of phosphorus and renal dialysis patients”.
In all about 1,165 students from 32 counties covering 550 projects and 210 schools competed for this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
CEO of BT Ireland Colm O’Neill said last Friday he was astounded by the bright, creative and positive young people who exhibited.
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn added that the talent, creativity and enthusiasm expressed by students at the competition offers a positive insight into the future of Ireland.
“We need to nurture this young talent, show them the opportunities available here in our world-class universities and encourage them to be part of Ireland’s bright future,” he said.