Local schools submit 26 projects for BT Young Scientists
There are a total of 26 projects from local schools competing in this year's BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) 2025 which kicks off this Thursday, January 9.
There are 8 projects from Moate Community School; 8 projects from Our Lady's Bower; 5 from Athlone Community College; 2 from Coláiste Chiaráin; 2 from Meán Scoil an Chlochair; and 1 from the Marist College.
Six of the Moate CS projects are group projects:
* Electrobloom: An electroculture growth chamber to increase the germination and yield of protected crops.
* Is High Performance in Sport out of Reach for Short People?
* Generating Power by Harnessing Swells Close to the Seashore
* Fungi Civil War: Using Birch Polypore to develop a treatment spray for bovine ringworm.
* Nutri-Flo: A natural tree nut water filter for cattle
* Botanical Barriers: Harnessing plant compounds for UV protection during nail treatments.
The two remaining projects are completed by individual students. These include: Methane Busters: Harnessing tannins and feed additives to clean up slurry tank emissions; and Crouch- Bind- Set...PROTECT!
Six of the Our Lady's Bower projects are group projects:
* The Mould Busters
* Maths 4 All
* An investigation into the need for extra examination time for students with additional learning needs
* An Investigation Into Chlorine Alternatives
* The Effects of Acid Rain on Plant Growth: Implications for Bogland Sustainability
* Crunch Time: Unveiling the perfect potato for chips
The other two projects were undertaken by individual students. These include: Starry Nights or Missed Delights?; and Cleaning the Air.
Three of the projects from Athlone Community College are individual projects:
* Resonance and Response: Psychoacoustics in Behavioural conditioning.
* A system to test and develop low-cost heat storage materials
* Lost, Found, and Optimised: A novel, revised outlook on Bellman’s Lost-in-a-Forest Problem
The remaining two projects are group projects. These include: Breaking the Silence: Unravelling Menstrual Stigmas and Mood Mysteries; and Illuminating The Future Using LIFI.
Coláiste Chiaráin has one individual project titled Grip Strength: A good biomarker, and one group project titled Gumshields: Fit or miss?
Meán Scoil an Chlochair has one group project titled Step up your day, endorphins are on the way!, and one individual project titled Forever farming – Sustainable Pest Control
The BT Young Scientist project from the Marist College, titled Does temperature affect magnetic forces?, is a group project.
The upcoming BTYSTE received entries from schools in 31 counties and from almost half (49%) of all secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland.
Speaking on the entries, Professor Pat Guiry, Chair of Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Board and Exhibition judge said: “This year we were heartened by the exceptional quality of entries to the BTYSTE. In fact, every year we are amazed by the calibre of submissions being made right across the country. The shortlisting of 2,069 entries down to 550 qualified projects was a tough challenge again this year.
“The scientific rigour and depth of research evident in the entries demonstrates the talent and creativity of Irish students, and their commitment to finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges of their times and gaining a greater understanding of the world around them.”
There are over 200 prizes and a prize fund of well over €50,000 to be won in the 2025 competition. These prizes are awarded across all five categories and age groups, including the overall BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year Award, worth €7,500, which will see the winners go on to represent Ireland at the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which will take place in Latvia. Ireland has a strong record of taking home the prize for first place at the EUCYS, with 17 wins over the past 35 years.