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 contest in Sofia, Bulgaria. The winners shared a total of €57,500 in prize money, as well as other prizes such as science trips.
Head of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Mari Cahalane said: “I want to congratulate Adam for his success here at the EUCYS. As one of the most highly-regarded international student science competitions, it is a fantastic demonstration of student STEM achievement. Ireland has consistently done very well at the competition, and Adam has continued this strong record with his achievement here today.”
“Initiatives like the BTYSTE and the EUCYS are vital in raising awareness of STEM amongst young people. As the longest running science fair in Europe, the BTYSTE has always provided a platform for students to research, discover and develop critical thinking skills outside of the classroom. It also helps students build their confidence and make long-lasting friendships. The closing date for entries to the BTYSTE 2020 is fast approaching. I’m calling on students to get their project ideas in before the deadline on Tuesday, September 24th”.
The EUCYS is an initiative of the European Commission under the Science and Society program. It is the annual showcase of the best of European student scientific achievement. The 100 projects presented at the EUCYS in Sofia this year covered a broad spectrum of scientific areas, including biology, physics, chemistry, computing, social sciences, environment, mathematics, materials, engineering and medicine.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, which is organized by communications company BT, will take place from the 8th – 11th January 2020 at the RDS in Dublin. The Exhibition offers students the chance to take home one of the most coveted awards for participants, the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and a large prize fund of €7,500. Additionally, the overall winner will get the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in 2020.
For more information on the BTYSTE and for details on how to enter, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com or follow BTYSTE on Twitter and Facebook.
ENDS
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Note to Editor
About EUCYS: The European Union (EU) Contest for Young Scientists, an initiative of the European Commission, was set up to promote the ideals of co-operation and interchange between young scientists. The EU Contest for Young Scientists is part of the Science with and for Society activities managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission.
EUCYS & the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition: The overall winner of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition goes forward to compete in EUCYS each year. Ireland’s success in the European competition is unparalleled with our young students winning first prize 14 times over the past 30 years. Organizers of the BTYSTE will be taking part in and attending EUCYS this year to highlight the many benefits of entering the national exhibition and encouraging even more young people to submit an entry to the upcoming BTYSTE which takes place from 8-11 January 2020.
Participating Countries: Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, European Schools, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA
