Midlands Shines at BT Young Scientist Exhibition 23

Midlands well-represented at BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 23

The 59th annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition takes place in the RDS Dublin from the 12th to 14th of January, a great return to the first in-person event in over 3 years.

Students, Teachers and Schools across the Midlands have worked hard to ensure STEM in the region is well-represented at the national event, with 53 projects qualifying for this years’ competition. Westmeath is tops in the region, and comes 3rd in the country, behind Dublin and Cork, for the number of qualifying projects. Over 212 schools are competing this year, with entries which span the categories of Technology; Biological and Ecological Sciences; Social and Behavioural Sciences; and Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Following judging by the 80 plus-person judging panel, the BT Young Scientist(s) & Technologist(s) of the Year 2023 will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday 13th January at 5:30pm. The overall prize winner(s) will receive the BTYSTE perpetual trophy and be presented with a cheque for €7,500. The winner(s) will go forward to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Brussels in September.

Entries from Midlands schools show a fascinating array of projects and topics, from improving water quality, to assisting those with neurodiversity, and the use of magnets in fuelling cars. Below is just a snapshot of this year’s entrants, showing STEM is in good health across the region.

Athlone Community College – Investigation of sustainable methods for waste water bioremediation: including spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and alginate from seaweed.
Mountrath Community School – Aquaculture: the impact of crude protein supplementation on dairy cow production and nitrogen excretion in urine in late lactation and the effects this has on Irish waterways.
Lanesboro Community College – Running up that hill: investigating the impact of school location, size and socioeconomic status on school performance at national cross country events from 2012 to 2022.
Tullamore College – Testing Daphnia’s heart rates in different teas.
Our Lady’s Bower – From a Distance: a risk assessment machine learning algorithm for vulnerable adults.

For further details on this years’ BTYSTE, and all the Midlands entries, visit https://btyoungscientist.com/