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Twelve local projects set for 2012 Young Scientist expo

by Adrian Cusack  Updated: Wednesday, 4th January, 2012 5:30pm

Twelve projects from Westmeath, and a further twelve from Roscommon, have qualified for the upcoming BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.

Entries from Athlone Community College, Our Lady's Bower and the Marist College are among those to be featured at the prestigious event, which takes place in Dublin's RDS and commences next Wednesday.

This year's competition attracted a record 1,743 entries. From this total, 550 projects were selected to go under the spotlight at the exhibition. The finalists from the Athlone area cover topics ranging from 'The physics of a penny-pusher arcade game' (by Marist students Sean Dulea, Jack Ryan and Caolan Jameson); 'Ragwort - yellow peril or precious flower?' (by Community College students Paul Connaughton, Neil Dermody and Jamie O'Kane) and 'What happened to our honey?' (by Bower students Sinead Reidy and Niamh Brady).

Also guaranteed to be of interest locally is one of the Roscommon entries - 'Pollution in Lough Ree' by Sharon Feely, Claire Cleary and Áine Collier from Scoil Muire gan Smál in Strokestown.

The 550 project places that are available at the 2012 exhibition represents an increase of 30 on last year, allowing up to 90 additional students to take part in the finals.

The Minister for Education, Ruairi Quinn, commented: "In its 48th year, it is great to see the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition continue to break new records for both the number of projects entered and schools competing. It is hugely uplifting to see 1,743 ideas generated in classrooms across Ireland, thought up by curious young minds who are eager to positively impact the world around them."

He added: "Research and innovation are critically important to our economy, and I commend everyone involved in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for providing a platform to stimulate and showcase Ireland's talent both nationally and internationally." The 2012 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition will take place in the RDS, Dublin from January 11-14.

YOUNG SCIENTIST 2012: FINALISTS FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS

* 'Group Idea Sharing and Developing Website' by Matija Milenovic and Shane Gonley (Athlone Community College)

* 'Senecio Jacobaea (Ragwort): Yellow Peril or Precious Flower?' by Paul Connaughton, Neil Dermody and Jamie O'Kane (Athlone Community College)

* 'The physics of a penny pusher arcade game: An investigation of the factors affecting payout' by Sean Dulea, Jack Ryan and Caolan Jameson (Marist College)

* 'Smart Seed Delivery Systems' by Eileen Reidy (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'Importance of cooling down a horse after exercise' by Cathy McGettigan (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'Tattoos and Body Piercings' by Lauren O'Sullivan, Deon Keighery and Katie McClean (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'What happened to our honey?' by Sinead Reidy and Niamh Brady (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'Alternative Oxidising Agents for Leaving Cert Chemistry Experiments' by Sinéad Carroll (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Vibrating Platforms in Bulding Muscle Tone' by Orla O'Connor, Claire Connor and Renata Downes (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'Giving A More Helpful Hand: Male or Female?' by Robyn Duke, Emma Fagan and Kayle Crosson (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'Predictive Input Touch System' by Eva Barry and Karen Garvey (Our Lady's Bower)

* 'The worm turns' by Kate Gibney (Our Lady's Bower)