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 the power of youth can change the world.”
Further inspirational messages were shared with the assembled audience from Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh. Much to the delight of the young scientists and technologists, world-renowned Professor Brian Cox took a tour of the exhibition to talk to students about their projects!
Later in the day the RDS was a hive of activity as the first-round of judging got well underway.
Pictures of the Day
Today was a day filled with a flurry of excitement and enthusiasm, with old and new friends gathering to share ideas and a passion for discovery in the RDS. Eager to put their best foot forward for the first round of judging today, it was all smiles this afternoon from our amazing students. We think this photo captures the mood well. Enjoy!
The girls from Loreto Beaufort show off their project, which investigates whether there’s any truth to the old adage “opposites attract”!
Former BTYSTE winners, Shane Curran and Emer Hickey with Professor Brian Cox and BTYSTE founder, Tony Scott. (from left: Curran, Hickey, Cox and Scott).
Look out! A student keeps an eye on us all from underneath his microscope!
Keep an eye out for our pictures of the day at the same time each evening this week!
What’s On – Day 2 @ BTYSTE
Thursday 9th January 2020
09:00am – 12:00pm: Second round of judging
9:30am – 5:30pm: The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition opens to the public, with a series of special acts including the Physics of Breakdancing and Robo Riots
9.30 am. – 5.30pm: Doors open to Primary Science groups, all schools and general public;
2:00pm – 5:30pm: Third round of judging
4:00pm – 5:30pm: RTÉ Climate Youth Forum, building on the success of the RTÉ Youth Assembly on Climate Change in November, a follow-on forum will take place at the Exhibition, which is open to the general public
If you have any further queries, require information or would like to coordinate any interviews, please don’t hesitate to contact the following:
Sinead Reilly, sreilly@Hanovercomms.com, M: +353 85 842 1970
Karl Picard, kpicard@Hanovercomms.com, M: +353 85 8146576
For more information on the exhibition and for details on how to enter, log ontowww.btyoungscientist.com or follow BTYSTE on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube or Snapchat (username: BTYSTE) Follow #CreateTodayShapeTomorrow and #BTYSTE
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.
About the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (#BTYSTE):
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition – it is the experience of a lifetime for the students and teachers who take part. Designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), the Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 years from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology projects to approx. 50,000 visitors each year. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is supported by several valued partners including the Department of Education & Skills, Analog Devices, CISC, Perrigo, RTE and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland. Learn more at www.btyoungscientist.com.
About The Primary Science Fair:
The Primary Science Fair, founded in 2003, will take place at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition from the 9th-11th January 2020. Bringing together inquiring minds from primary schools across the country, The Primary Science Fair will give young students the chance to discover and learn about the possibilities of science, technology, engineering and maths by working on their own projects in a non-competitive environment. The Primary Science Fair supports the curriculum and gives these students a platform to learn more about the scientific method and showcase their hard work on a national stage. The aim of the event is to foster a love of science early, and help students develop their math and science skills.
About BT:
BT’s purpose is to use the power of communications to make a better world. It is one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in 180 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to its customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband, TV and internet products and services; and converged fixed-mobile products and services. BT consists of four customer-facing units: Consumer, Enterprise, Global and Openreach.
For the year ended 31 March 2019, BT Group’s reported revenue was £23,428m with reported profit before taxation of £2,666m.
British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a fully owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London stock exchange.
For more information, visit www.btplc.com
