New records have been broken by the 51st BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, according to BT, with 2,077 project ideas submitted in
October by 4,616 students. And today, letters are winging their way to schools across the island to break the news about which students have qualified for
the exhibition in January 2015.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Colm O’Neill, CEO BT Ireland, commented, “2014 has been a great year for the exhibition. We reached the 50th
milestone, and saw both our 2013 and 2014 winners continue our run of international success with prizes in European and international competitions.”
“We’ve now hit a new record with the 51st exhibition, receiving more entries than ever before and giving an unprecedented number of students an
opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for their talent.”
Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD commented, “Even in its 51st year, the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is
breaking new records with project numbers up from students across the country. As Ireland continues to establish itself as a world-leader in technology and
science, the importance of an event like this cannot be underestimated. I would like to take this opportunity to commend everyone involved in this unique
and remarkable event in the Irish education calendar.”
The 2015 entries at a glance:
- 2,077 entries received (up 4%)
- 4,616 students (up 4%)
- 367 schools represented
· Entries received from 30 counties (no entries from Fermanagh and Armagh)
- Students entered are 54% female, 46% male
Number of entries per category:
· Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences: 382 [up 9%]
· Biological & Ecological Sciences: 615 [up 7%]
· Technology: 362 [down 3%]
· Social & Behavioural Sciences: 718 [up 3%]
Research conducted recently by BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition demonstrated that technology tops the career aspirations of students in
Ireland with 59% of those surveyed saying they would most prefer Mark Zuckerberg’s job. A life of entrepreneurship was selected ahead of holding the
Presidency of the United States with Barack Obama at 19% and the life of a pop star with Miley Cyrus receiving only 13% of votes.
The 2015 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place in the RDS, Dublin from 7th -10th January 2015. There are
over 120 awards to be won including the prestigious BT Young Scientist & Technologist of the Year.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is organised by BT Ireland, one of the country’s leading communications and networked IT service
providers, and is supported by a number of valued partners including the Department of Education & Skills, Analog Devices, Intel, Perrigo and RTE. For
more information on the exhibition, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow the exhibition on Twitter
@BTYSTE.
