Seven Offaly projects at BT Young Scientist exhibition this week

Seven projects from Offaly are due to take part in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition this week in Dublin.

Tullamore College has four entries, the Sacred Heart Secondary School in Tullamore has two, while there is also a qualifier from Gallen Community School.

Tullamore College students Isobel McAuliffe and Eva Flynn are taking part in the Technology Intermediate Group category.

Their project, 'The Wrist Assist' involves the programming of two micro bits to send and receive icons via radio waves, to help solve issues in difficulty hearing instructions during certain sports.

Their teacher is Noreen Flynn, who is also the teacher for a group project entered in the senior section of the Biological & Ecological category.

The project entitled, 'Testing Daphnia's heart rates in different teas' is by students Lana Barisic and Caitlyn Coyne and tests the heart rate of daphnia in different teas to see if they can help us relax.

Tullamore College students Eimear Evans, Molly Doyle and Emma Dunne are behind the project 'To investigate the effect temperature has on concentration and memory levels'.

It is entered in the group category of the senior section of the Social & Behavioural Sciences category.

The trio observed students were having difficulties concentrating during colder months due to classrooms being ventilated during Covid, with energy costs skyrocketing they wanted to experiment.

Meanwhile, Tess Flynn and Clodagh Hynes have qualified for the Junior Group section of the Biological & Ecological category with their project 'Sleep Well'.

The students investigate if natural remedies are as effective as prescribed medicine in helping people who find it difficult to fall sleep.

Both these two projects are through teacher Elaine Howlin.

Two projects from Sacred Heart Secondary School in Tullamore are also taking part in the competition.

2nd year student Saorla Whelan has an individual project “An investigation into the force of collisions in rugby since the game went professional”. It is entered in the Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences categoryTY student Danielle Fogarty also has an individual project “Engine tuning and its benefits” which is taking part in the Technology category.

The seventh Offaly project to reach the RDS is from Gallen Community School where students Darragh Mannion and Calum Corcoran have qualified for the Intermediate Technology Group category.

Their project, 'Farm Safety Slurry Sensor' is designed to improve farm safety in a bid to save people's lives on the farmyard. Their teacher is Aideen Pettit.

The Offaly students are among over 1,100 school students who are taking part in the 59th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) in the RDS. The prestigious event, which showcases research and innovation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), will be in person this year for the first time since 2020, following two successful virtual exhibitions.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins will officially open the 2023 exhibition on Wednesday at a special ceremony whichalso be streamed live on the BTYSTE website and on Facebook Live from 2pm.

At the heart of the exhibition are the 550 projects from 212 schools which span the categories of Technology; Biological and Ecological Sciences; Social and Behavioural Sciences; and Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Following judging by the 80 plus-person judging panel, the BT Young Scientist(s) & Technologist(s) of the Year 2023 will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 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.

Also taking place alongside the BTYSTE is the Primary Science Fair, now in its 21st year, bringing together hundreds of primary students from across Ireland to the RDS on Thursday and Friday to showcase their projects.

The BT Young Scientist exhibition is open to the public on Thursday until Saturday.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the venue. Visitors can plan their visit to the RDS in advance by downloading the free BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition app, available on Android and Apple devices.

For more information, visit www.btyoungscientist.com