Four Dundalk schools to compete at Young Scientist

Four Dundalk schools will showcase six different projects at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition this January.
This January, 550 projects and hundreds of students will represent their school and community at the awards.

Dundalk schools set to take part are:

l Coláiste Chú Chulainn- Which beach sand in Co. Louth has the most microplastics?
l Colaiste Rís- To investigate noise pollution and cheaper ways to integrate sound proofing methods into already existing buildings.
l Dundalk Grammar School- DermAI: Novel approach to the mitigation of algorithmic bias within CNN based skin lesion classification.
l St Vincent’s Secondary School- Do homing pigeons respond to different coloured bird feed?
l St Vincent’s Secondary School- Liar! Liar! Pants on Fire! An investigation to see if people conceal their true feelings about immigration using a polygraph test
l St Vincent’s Secondary School- An attempt to create an improved artificial version of the “helicopter seed” produced by the acer pseudoplatanus
l St Vincent’s Secondary School- Testing which kind of chocolate has the most detrimental effect on your singing voice.

Of all the submissions for the 2024 exhibition, the most common project titles are focused on health (16%); mental, menstrual, sleep, medicine, ageing, behaviour. Mental health project entries covered a broad range of topics, such as beauty standards, sports performance, exercise and sleep. 2% of all entries specifically investigated the health and environmental implications of vaping, which suggests the awareness and concerns of young people around vaping.

AI accounted for 4% of all entries, with projects looking at how programmes such as Chat GPT can be used effectively in education and health. Diversity & Inclusion was another topic of interest for students this year.

Of all entries, 3% focus on developing apps and technology to help improve the daily lives of those with physical disabilities. Neurodiversity (autism, in particular) was another emerging theme, suggesting growing interest from young people in the ways that technology can improve the lives of neurodivergent people.

Similar to previous years, the environment continues to be a strong trend within entries, with 11% of all projects covering the topic, from ways to become more sustainable, to environmentally friendly farming practices, microplastics, natural fertilisers and even fast fashion.

Young peoples’ interest in sport remains high, with 9% of projects investigating topics ranging from sports injuries to performance, as well as the use of technology within sports, gender, and mental health.

Furthermore 6% of all projects also delve into education, investigating areas from mental health to academic success, innovation, and the use of apps and devices within classrooms and learning environments.
Schools who entered the 2024 BTYSTE were notified of results on Wednesday, 25 October, 2023.

From January 10 to 13, hundreds of students will showcase their innovative ideas in the areas of Social & Behavioural Sciences, Technology, Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences, Biological & Ecological Sciences, and a brand-new category being introduced for 2024, Health and Wellbeing.

Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD said:

“It is fantastic to see the level of engagement by students in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2024. It is an absolute highlight of the school calendar each year. The interest from students in health-related topics demonstrates young people’s interest in that area, and it’s great to see that the BTYSTE has created a new category for the 60th exhibition next year, ‘Health and Wellbeing’, that will enable secondary school students to explore that interest further.”

Shay Walsh, Managing Director at BT Ireland commented, “At BT Ireland, we’re looking forward to delivering the 60th edition of this national treasure in January. Each year we continue to be amazed at the caliber of ideas and innovations that are submitted for consideration to the BTYSTE. The volume of exceptional entries we received for 2024 exhibition shows that interest in science, technology, exhibition, and mathematics (STEM)continues to grow, and we are looking forward to recognise and nurture new talent in the sector in the new year.”

Mari Cahalane, Head of the BTYSTE concluded: “The BTYSTE is a fantastic platform for students to develop their best ideas to improve the world we live in and showcase them nationally and internationally. As one of the largest STEM school exhibitions in Europe, our alumni have been recognised globally and with the standard of entries for 2024 just as high as years before, we’re very confident that trend will continue. We are excited to see the 2024 BTYSTE entrants showcase their extraordinary work at next year’s exhibition.”

Tickets for the BTYSTE 2024 will be available for purchase later this month. For more information on the BTYSTE, please visit @BTYSTE on X, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.