Though all the prizes had already been given out, there was still so much to do and see on the final day of the incredible BTYSTE 2018.

When thinking about the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), it’s easy to get caught up considering the lucrative prize available and trying to determine which budding scientific genius will take home the perpetual trophy.

Therefore, it can be easy to forget that there’s another exhibition after the confetti has exploded and all the prizes have been doled out.

Thousands upon thousands of students, teachers and families arrived at Dublin’s RDS on Saturday 13 January to soak up BTYSTE 2018, and we caught up with some of the incredible young people showing off the fruits of their labour this year.

One of the projects that caught our eye was presented by Gráinne Lawlor and Enya Norden, two students from Scoil Mhuire Community School in Clane, Co Kildare, who found that e-cigarettes have plenty of potentially deleterious side effects.

The pair made this discovery when they analysed the vapour that e-cigarettes produce and detected metal particles, which could cause lung damage.

Words by Eva Short