Ten projects from Offaly schools in BT Young Scientists

There are ten Offaly projects competing in this year's BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) 2025 which kicks off this Thursday, January 9.

There are five projects from Tullamore College, three from Cistercian College, outside Roscrea, and one each from St Brendan's Community School and Gallen Community School.

Two of the Tullamore College entries are group projects:

'Liver Lifeline' is taking part in the Biological & Ecological category, as is 'Green Sheets: Sustainable Paper from Grass'.

There are three individual projects representing the school: 'Little Steps: Understanding height and growth differences' is competing in the Social & Behavioural Sciences category, 'Investigating the effectiveness of zeolites as a soil amendment to reduce nitrate runoff from fertilisers' is in the Biological & Ecological category and 'Perimenopause Uncovered: Empowering women through knowledge' is in the Health & Wellbeing category.

Two of the three projects from Cistercian College, Roscrea, are group projects: 'Are Slurry Additives the future of farming?' is competing in the Biological & Ecological Group category, in the Social and Behavioural Science category is 'The impact of Blue Light Exposure on mental health in teenagers'.

The third project from the school is 'It’s Spreading Time: Are GPS fertiliser spreaders really more economical and environmentally friendly than their cheaper counterparts?'. This is an individual project in the Technology category.

Gallen Community School has a group project in the Health and Wellbeing category entitled 'Subcutaneous Semaglutide: The new fashion trend', while 'Chicken Talk' is the name of the group project from St Brendan’s Community School in Birr which is in the Biological & Ecological category.

The upcoming BTYSTE received entries from schools in 31 counties and from almost half (49%) of all secondary schools in the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking on the entries, Professor Pat Guiry, Chair of Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Board and Exhibition judge said, “This year we were heartened by the exceptional quality of entries to the BTYSTE. In fact, every year we are amazed by the calibre of submissions being made right across the country. The shortlisting of 2,069 entries down to 550 qualified projects was a tough challenge again this year.

“The scientific rigour and depth of research evident in the entries demonstrates the talent and creativity of Irish students, and their commitment to finding solutions to some of the greatest challenges of their times and gaining a greater understanding of the world around them.”

There are over 200 prizes and a prize fund of well over €50,000 to be won in the 2025 competition. These prizes are awarded across all five categories and age groups, including the overall BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year Award, worth €7,500, which will see the winners go on to represent Ireland at the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which will take place in Latvia. Ireland has a strong record of taking home the prize for first place at the EUCYS, with 17 wins over the past 35 years.