by BTYSTE_admin | Mar 6, 2020 | 2020 press releases
REUSABLE BRAILLE TRANSLATOR WINS BIG AT THE 11TH BT YOUNG SCIENTIST BUSINESS BOOTCAMP Thursday, 5th March 2020: Twenty-nine enterprising school students gathered at NovaUCD this week for the 11th annual BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp. Five students from Dublin, Westmeath, Sligo and Kildare were announced as the Best Group winners for their project titled “The Reusable Braille Translator”. Alison Egan from Castleknock Community College in Dublin, Cian Flaherty from Colaiste Mhuire Mullingar in Co. Westmeath, Maura Madden from Ursuline College in Sligo, Rhys Mordaunt from the Institute of Education in Dublin and Ruairi Mullally from Patrician Secondary school in Newbridge Co. Kildare joined together to create a reusable device which enhances visually impaired peoples reading and web surfing experience by converting text into braille form. Ben Loughnane, a third-year student from Kinsale Community School Co. Cork was announced as the individual winner for his project ‘Electric Paint- how much graphite is needed to heat your home?’. The BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp was established in 2010 by BT and is delivered in partnership with the innovation team of UCD Research and Innovation to give students the commercialisation skills they need to develop their BT Young Scientist & Technology project ideas. The culmination of the four-day programme saw the students pitching their companies to an expert panel of judges. Congratulating all participants, Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland said, “Massive congratulations to all the students who took part in the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp this year and specifically Alison, Cian, Maura, Rhys, Ruairi and Ben on their winning projects. The BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp has been an integral part of the BT Young Scientist & Technology...
by BTYSTE_admin | Jan 10, 2020 | 2020 press releases
Cormac Harris and Alan O’Sullivan announced as winners of the 56th BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition Friday, 10th January: The winners of the 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) have been announced. Cormac Harris and Alan O’Sullivan, both aged 16, fourth year students from Coláiste Choilm, Cork, have taken home the top prize for a project entitled “A statistical investigation into the prevalence of gender stereotyping in 5-7 year olds and the development of an initiative to combat gender bias”. The coveted prize was presented to the winners this evening in the BT Arena by Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, and Managing Director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh. Cormac and Alan presented their project in the Intermediate section in the Social and Behavioural Sciences category. Head Judge of the Social and Behavioural Sciences Group category, Professor Joe Barry said about Cormac and Alan’s project, ‘Despite awareness of the lower percentage of females relative to males pursuing study and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), we still do not understand exactly why this is the case. The aim of Cormac and Alan’s project was to determine how early gender stereotyping can be identified. They conducted workshops with 376 5-7 year olds from a range of school settings with a number of different tasks including: choosing between gender-specific and gender-neutral toys; drawing and naming an engineer, and; rating male and female competency at a number of gender-specific roles. One of the most striking findings emerging from the research was that 96% of boys drew a male engineer while just over 50% of girls...
by BTYSTE_admin | Jan 9, 2020 | 2020 press releases
Round Up – Day 2 @BTYSTE: With judging well underway, Day Two of the 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2020 was filled with a flurry of excitement and enthusiasm. There are some stunning projects on display, carefully put together by our students who are all chasing the coveted title of BT Young Scientist and Technologist 2020. Judges have no mean feat picking a winner when the calibre of projects is as impressive as these! Bonnie Greer, OBE, the UK-based novelist and playwright who won widespread acclaim for her positive comments about Ireland on a BBC Question Time debate on Brexit, headlined an ‘Enterprising Minds’ Leaders’ Lunch in partnership with Future Human this afternoon at 1:00pm. Also speaking was Shane Curran, CEO of Evervault and former BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition winner 2017. This afternoon, the inaugural Irish, British and American Junior Chamber of Commerce was officially launched at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. The Chamber, which was founded by sisters and BT Young Scientists & Technologists 2015, Kate and Annie Madden, will serve people under the age of 23 in promoting and doing international business. Wishing the Irish, British and American Junior Chamber of Commerce the best of luck for the future, honorary founding patron for 2020 and MD of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh said, “our alumni are the changemakers of tomorrow”. From 4:00pm today, the RTE Climate Youth Generation Persuasion Forum will take place at the Exhibition in the Concert Hall. This event is open to the public, so why not call in to hear from some of these amazing young people themselves as they discuss the climate...
by BTYSTE_admin | Jan 8, 2020 | 2020 press releases
Round Up – Day 1 @BTYSTE: The 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition sprang to life today as 1,100 students from 244 schools across the island descended on the RDS to set up their projects and begin to prepare for the days ahead. In a rousing speech to a packed house of young scientists, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar opened the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2019. Speaking to the students, he expressed his admiration at the calibre and creativity of this year’s projects. The topical nature of students’ projects “suggests that change is coming”, he said, encouraging students “to keep innovating, to keep creating and to keep using your imagination to create a better world.” BT Ireland MD, Shay Walsh congratulated all students on their participation in BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, in what is now the longest-running science fair of its kind, in not just Ireland but the world. This is the 20th consecutive year for the technology giant, BT, to organise and sponsor the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and BT Ireland confirmed today that it would be extending its agreement to sponsor this historic event until 2023. Speaking today, Walsh said “BT Ireland is celebrating 20 years of partnership with Young Scientist this year and are delighted to extend our commitment to future exhibitions. As organiser and sponsor, we have the honour of working with so many organisations and individuals dedicated to giving a platform to all young people to share their ideas on how to create a better world. This iconic exhibition has proven that the power of science and technology combined with...
by BTYSTE_admin | Jan 7, 2020 | 2020 press releases
IRELAND’S FUTURE SCIENTISTS PREPARE TO SHOWCASE THEIR TALENTS AT THE 56th BT YOUNG SCIENTIST & TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION Exhibition opens to the public from Thursday 9th – Saturday 11th January Dublin, Tuesday 7th January 2020: Over 1,100 students will take their place at Dublin’s RDS tomorrow as the 56thBT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition kicks off. The event brings together some of the country’s brightest young minds as they compete to take home the coveted title of the BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year 2020. An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will officially open the Exhibition at a special ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday 8thJanuary, attended by students, teachers, exhibition partners and stakeholders, and presented by BT Managing Director Shay Walsh. The ceremony will be streamed live on Facebook from 2pm. Speaking ahead of this year’s exhibition An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said, ““The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is a brilliant event; it showcases our best and brightest, and as we have seen in recent years, the winners often go on to have very successful careers in their chosen fields. It’s inspirational for me to see the immense talent and new ideas being brought by our second level students. They are the change makers and problem solvers of tomorrow. I wish everyone involved the very best of luck for this year’s event and for the future.” In what will be an exciting time for competing students, this year’s winner(s) of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, to be announced on Friday 10th January, will be presented with a cheque for €7,500, the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and will represent Ireland at...
by BTYSTE_admin | Dec 12, 2019 | 2020 press releases
Line-up for the 2020 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition announced A host of national and international science shows including Unbelievable Science by Morgan and West, Physics of Breakdancing, Airmazing and World of Robots 550 awe-inspiring student projects on display The Primary Science Fair returns from 9-11th January Thursday 12th December 2019: The countdown is on to Ireland’s most exciting festival of science and technology, which takes place from 8-11th January at the RDS, Dublin. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, now in its 56th year, is a fun-filled spectacle of creativity and inspiration, offering something for people of all ages. At the heart of the Exhibition are the 1,100 students representing 244 schools across the island of Ireland who will compete for the coveted title of BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year 2020. In addition to the 550 exhibiting projects, there is a thrilling line-up of science shows guaranteed to blow the mind including: “Morgan & West”s Unbelievable Science – a captivating show filled with phenomenal thrills, chemical spills and a risk assessment that gives their stage manager chills “Airmazing”, a fast paced, interactive show exploring the existence, composition and springiness of the air “Physics of Breakdancing”, where science and dance collide in a high energy fusion of physics and breakdancing, “3D-Space Challenges & Exploration”, a show that examines space hazards and how to overcome them – immerse yourself in this heart thumping 3D experience! World of Robots –They’re back by popular demand for 2020! They clash, spin and flip. Sparks will fly in this ultimate action-packed family show Mari Cahalane head of BT Young...
by BTYSTE_admin | Nov 11, 2019 | 2020 press releases
Mental Health & Climate Change dominate project trends at the 2020 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Over 1,800 projects entered in total 550 finalists for the 2020 Exhibition announced 244 schools spanning 31 counties will represent their community at the Exhibition Projects titles show increasing awareness of major social issues Technology company BT marks 20 years as organiser of the Exhibition Tuesday 5th November 2019: The 550 finalists who will represent their school and community at the 2020 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) have been announced. Selected from over 1,800 entries, these projects represent 244 schools across 31 counties. As BT, the organiser of the event, delivered the good news over the past week, students have already begun preparing to exhibit their projects and meet the judges at the 56th annual Exhibition on 8th January, 2020. A significant number of the projects this year delve into pressing social issues such as mental health, transgender rights and the effects that social media has on young people. Topics such as these are prevalent in the Social & Behavioural Science category but are also increasingly prevalent in the remaining three categories – Technology, Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences and Biological & Ecological Sciences. Shay Walsh, Managing Director at BT Ireland said, “It is a trend in itself globally that it is our young people who are now leading the charge when it comes to taking action on issues such as climate change and mental health. I am personally encouraged and positive about Ireland’s future when I see this same passion and concern coming from our own young people as...
by BTYSTE_admin | Sep 17, 2019 | 2020 press releases
IRELAND’S ADAM KELLY TRIUMPHS AT THE 31st EUROPEAN UNION CONTEST FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS (Kelly becomes Ireland’s 15th winner in the competitions’ history) Tuesday, 17th September 2019: Winner of the 2019 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Adam Kelly has taken home the top prize at this year’s European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Bulgaria for his project titled “Optimising The Simulation of General Quantum Circuits”. Magnus Quaade Oddershede from Denmark for “The wingtip’s influence on the efficiency of airplane wings” also won first place at the EUCYS alongside Alex Korocenev and Felix Christian Sewing from Germany for “Hoverboard – a Magnetically Levitated Vehicle”, and Leo Li Takemaru and Poojan Pandya from the United States for their project “Investigating the Role of the Novel ESCRT-III Recruiter CCDC11 in HIV Budding: Identifying a Potential Target for Antiviral Therapy”. The winning young scientists will receive €7,000 each for their outstanding projects. The four second prizes and four third prizes were awarded to projects from Georgia, Spain, Finland, South Korea, Switzerland, Belarus, Austria and Poland. Adam Kelly from Co. Dublin took home the top prize accolade at BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in January 2019 with a project that developed a tool to select the optimum algorithm for the simulation of particular quantum circuits, which may inform the development of a practical quantum computer. As the overall winner, Adam got the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists 2019 in Bulgaria. The winners at this year’s European Union Contest were among 155 young scientists aged between 14 to 20 from 39 countries who competed at the...
by BTYSTE_admin | Sep 2, 2019 | 2020 press releases
Students invited to join Ireland’s most extensive STEM alumni network by entering a project today #CreateTodayShapeTomorrow Monday 2nd September: Students across Ireland are today being invited to submit their entries to the 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) before the deadline date of 24th September, 2019. BT Ireland, organisers of the Exhibition are calling on students aged 12-19 to submit their one page proposal to be in with a chance to represent their school and county at national level in the RDS, Dublin from 8-11th January, 2020. With over 200 prizes to be won, including the coveted title of BT Young Scientist & Technologist (s) of the Year, qualifying students will also be given a public spotlight on which to showcase their projects at the main Exhibition, a platform which has launched the careers of many of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs and academics including Stripe founders Patrick and John Collison (Stripe), Kate and Annie Madden (Fenu Health), and Rhona Togher and Eimear O’Carroll (Restored Hearing). What began in 1965 as a simple fair designed to inspire a love of science is today the country’s national celebration of science and technology at school level, and a critical component of the government’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills programme. The Exhibition is designed to inspire young people to better understand the opportunities that a career in a STEM related field can offer. And in this rapidly changing world where 60% of children entering primary school today will work in jobs that do not yet exist (Ibec, 2018), there is an increasing need to have the skills and knowledge...
by BTYSTE_admin | May 15, 2019 | 2020 press releases
The 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition to take place from 8-11th January 2020 Survey reveals that nearly two in three of 12- 24 year olds would like to see science and technology tackle major societal and climate issues Minister for Education calls on students to get involved in the 2020 BTYSTE BT Ireland celebrates 20 years as organisers of the longest running science and technology event in Europe Students across Ireland are today being encouraged to get involved in the 2020 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), Ireland’s most inspiring celebration of science and technology. The Exhibition will take place from the 8th – 11th January 2020, and students are being urged to start working on their projects today. To mark its 20th year as both organiser and lead sponsor of the BTYSTE, BT Ireland asked 1,200 people across Ireland, ranging in age from 12 to 55, their perceptions on science and technology to determine the generational views on science and technology today. One of the questions posed was what progress they would like to see in the future through science and technology. Interestingly, the survey revealed that the majority of 12-18 and 19-24 year olds – Generation Z – would like to see science and technology tackle social and climate issues. In contrast, 25 – 39 year olds and 40 – 59 year olds choose more functional advancements, with over one in three saying they would like to see greater use of AI in transport in the next 20-years. The survey also found that young people aged between 12-24 years old are those most interested...
