WEST Cork students were once again to the fore at this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technology exhibition (BTYSTE) held in the RDS in Dublin last week, with 18-year-old Ballineen student Tomás Markey winning the best individual award.
Karis Vukajlovic and Alannah O'Connor from Colaiste Pobail Bheanntrai Cork with their project 'How does your cup a day chase the worms away?' and, right, Caoimhe Ryan, Ella O'Driscoll and Tadhg Og O'Donovan from St Brogan's College, who took second place in the senior group social and behavioural sciences category, being presented with their award by Therese Gunning of BT Ireland.
A Leaving Cert student at St Brogan’s College in Bandon, Tomás won the award for his project ‘PM-DAC: A system for removing CO2 from the atmosphere.’
PM-DAC is a passive and modular direct air capture framework that reduces the cost of carbon dioxide sequestration in the fight against climate change.
Caoimhe Ryan, Ella O'Driscoll and Tadhg Og O'Donovan from St Brogan's College, who took second place in the senior group social and behavioural sciences category, being presented with their award by Therese Gunning of BT Ireland.
Leonard Hobbs, chair of the technology individual judges said they were very impressed with the level of innovation demonstrated by Tomás, regarding one of the greatest challenges currently facing the world – the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
‘Tomás demonstrated his prototype at the exhibition which showcased an impressive mechanical and scalable design and novel carbon capture technology, which resulted in a cost effective approach to this challenging and topical issue,’ he said.
Cillian Cuffe, Andrew Connolly and Donnacha Hickey from Hamilton High in Bandon, and their project 'Could the Lough Derg disaster have been prevented?' with Tánaiste Micheál Martin. Right:Ian Cullinane, Kinsale Community School, who took second place in the senior individual biological and ecological sciences category, being represented with his award by Therese Gunning, BT.
Not only that, he also won the Analog Devices Best Technology Award category for the same project.
Tomás is no stranger to entering the BTYSTE, having won first place last year in the senior individual category for another project on direct air capture. He also received the EPA special award for the same project.
Ian Cullinane, Kinsale Community School, who took second place in the senior individual biological and ecological sciences category, being presented with his award by Therese Gunning, BT.
In 2023, he won first place in the intermediate category for a project titled ‘Human Neuro-Storage’, while in 2021 he won first place in the junior group for a project titled ‘EYE- Enhance Your Education.’
School principal Helen Cadogan said they held a big welcome home event in the school for Tomás and the other participants on Monday morning. ‘He has entered the competition a few times and has been perfecting his project over the years. He had a prototype this year and he did an amazing job,’ she told The Southern Star.
‘He did a lot of work on the project over the summer. He’s a great young student, very motivated and dedicated. It’s just a fantastic competition and it’s even an amazing experience to qualify for it and exhibit at the RDS.’
Tomás will now travel to Osaka in Japan to represent Ireland at the World Expo in July.
Oliver Johnson and Liam Coughlan from Schull Community College Cork with their project 'An exploration into the potential of alternatives to fibreglass'.
Meanwhile, three students from the same school – Tadhg Óg O’Donovan, Ella O’Driscoll, and Caoimhe Ryan – were placed in second place in the senior section of the social and behaviour category for their project: ‘Do I have your Number 1 vote and why? A statistical analysis of people’s attitudes toward voting in local and general elections.’
St Mary’s Secondary School in Macroom was also celebrating after it was named best school in the Republic of Ireland, based on the school’s achievements in the competition over the last three years.
Students at Mount St Michael Secondary School in Rosscarbery also received awards including Niamh Wygers, Miya O’Sullivan and Caoimhe Scully, winning a highly commended award for their project ‘Honey Healers.’ Meanwhile, Chloe Cantillon won the best display award, while Adam Baker, Rory McCarthy and Vincent Daly were placed third in their category of biological and ecological sciences.
Orla McCarthy, Anna McCarthy and Shauna Hourihane from Skibbereen Community School Cork with their project 'Anaerobic Digester- Gadget or Gimmick? A study of the practical, financial and environmental benefits of using an anaerobic digester in our school community' at the 61st BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in the RDS Dublin. This year, BT Ireland celebrates 25 years as custodian of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, which is one of the leading school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) exhibitions in the world.
Students from Skibbereen Community School were also celebrating after Grace Hickey and Caoimhe O’Donovan received a highly commended award for their project titled ‘Problematic Parasites’ while Niall O’Callaghan and Daniel McCarthy were awarded a display award for their project on demystifying the myth of using heat creams.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin with Cian Spillane, from Gaelcholáiste Carrigaline, and right, with Etaoin Healy Bastow and Eva Grace, Kinsale Community School, who took first place in the junior group health and wellbeing category.
Kinsale Community School had an exceptional nine projects, representing 15 students with Ian Cullinane winning the EPA award and he was placed second in his category for his project on monitoring invasive rhododendron. Other successes include Etaoin Healy Bastow and Eva Grace, who won the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine special award for their project: ‘Wound Protection Cage 2.0.’ School principal Fergal McCarthy said the achievements of these students highlight their dedication to scientific excellence.
‘The BTYSTE has fostered a culture of innovation and curiosity at Kinsale Community School and we are immensely proud to contribute to Ireland’s scientific legacy,’ he said.
Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, with Etaoin Healy Bastow, left and Eva Grace, Kinsale Community School, with their project, Wound Protection Cage 2.0 at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in the RDS. They won the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine Special Award and 1st place in the Junior Group Health and Wellbeing with Wound Protection Cage 2.0!
Schull Community College TY students Liam Coughlan and Oliver Johnson received a highly commended for their project entitled ‘An exploration into the potential alternatives to fibreglass.’ The project explored the viability of using eco-friendly materials in the production of high-performance sailing boats.
