Thousands of students will light up Dublin’s RDS as the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition kicks off tomorrow. 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 2018.
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins will officially open the Exhibition at a special ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday 10th January, attended by students, teachers, Exhibition partners and stakeholders, and presented by broadcaster Aidan Power and TG4’s Roisin Ni Thomáin. The ceremony will be streamed live on Facebook from 2 p.m.
Leading communications and IT Services company, BT, is also delighted to announce an increase in prize money for the winner and a trip to the home of codebreaking in World War II, Bletchley Park. This year winner(s) of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, to be announced on Friday, will be presented with a cheque for €7,500, (an increase from €5,000), a trip to the historic Bletchley Park and the BTYSTE perpetual trophy.
The 2018 overall winner(s) will also receive the opportunity to represent Ireland at the 30th EU Contest for Young Scientists when it is hosted in Dublin in September.
This year’s Exhibition, which is now one of the largest and most renowned of its kind in Europe, will play host to a festival of science and innovation with guest appearances from people like Dr. Norah Patten, Ireland’s astronaut in training, Kevin Mitnick, ‘the world’s most famous hacker’ and broadcaster Jon Snow.
Over 20 shows a day will be available for students and visitors to see, including one of the world’s most loved science acts, ‘Ministry of Science UK’. The quirky act is set to spell bind thousands of students over the coming days with live science experiences like no other.
There are 550 projects on show at this year’s Exhibition across four categories: Technology; Biological and Ecological; Social and Behavioural Sciences; and Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences. This year’s projects cover a wide variety of topics, from homelessness to the HPV vaccine and everything in between. Judging begins tomorrow afternoon, and the Exhibition opens to the public from Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th January, with approx. 50,000+ visitors, young and old, expected to visit the event over the course of the three days.
Speaking at today’s launch, Shay Walsh, Managing Director, BT Ireland said; “The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is an excellent platform to discover future STEM leaders and help sustain a culture of STEM teaching and learning within our society. Over the course of the week, visitors will see how all the projects vary in a range of complexity. The students have developed skills along this process that will benefit them throughout their entire careers. This is our 18th year to organise this prestigious event and to be a driving force in fostering and recognising STEM talent in Ireland.”
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. Full of helpful information, the app includes an exhibition map, a search tool for student projects and exhibitors, a schedule of events, as well as links to the BTYSTE social networks for live updates throughout the event.
- Open for visitors: January 11th, 9.30am – 5.30pm; January 12th, 9.30am – 5.00pm; and January 13th, 9.30am – 5.30pm
- Location: RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is a must for anyone with a passion for science and technology. For information, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow the exhibition on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @BTYSTE. You can also call 1800 924 362 from the Republic of Ireland or 0800 917 1297 from Northern Ireland.
