Ireland’s young scientists reveal their projects (video)

Last week at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, the atmosphere in the Royal Dublin Society was magnetised by the dynamic and novel ideas that were created from young innovators who came from schools spanning the island of Ireland. We did video interviews with some of the students who explained their projects.

The overall 2012 winners were 17-year-olds Mark Kelly and Eric Doyle who study at Synge Street CBS in Dublin. They developed an algorithm based on the motion of planets, with the aim of helping satellites stay on the right flight path when in space.

The 2012 exhibition has been hailed as having the best public attendance ever. Now in its 48th year, it was back in 1963 that two UCD physics researchers, the Rev D Tom Burke and Dr Tony Scott, stumbled across the idea of science fairs while conducting research in New Mexico. Sensing the opportunity to bring science beyond the boundaries of the classroom and into society, the held the first Irish competition in the Round Room of the Mansion House in Dublin. And the rest is history!

In the following video, we feature three projects:

• Grainne O’Mahony from Castletroy College in Co Limerick talks about her project ‘A pilot study into the effect age has on selective attention in children aged four to eighteen’.
• Terry Bolt from FCJ Secondary School in Bunclody, Co Wexford, spoke to us about his project: ‘Composing Music with Fractions’, which he believes could have applications for young musicians to compose their own music.
• Then we spoke to Christopher O’Hagen and Paddy Geoghegan from De La Salle College in Co Louth about their project: ‘Will magnification help accelerate solar water disinfection’. This is the second year the duo have entered the contest with their idea, which they believe will have future applications to disinfect water in developing projects at a lower cost.

A selection of exhibits from BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition