Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition
Encyclopedia
The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition , commonly called "the Young Scientist", is an annual competition that has been held in Dublin, Ireland
every January since 1965 for encouraging interest in science in secondary and primary schools, currently sponsored by BT Ireland
. There were 1,616 entries for the 2009 contest http://www.btyoungscientist.ie/media/pressreleases.php?id=20, five hundred of which were selected for the Exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society
. In each and Technology Exhibition advance to participate in international events such as the European Union Contest for Young Scientists
and the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar
.
There are four categories in which projects are awarded to: biology
, physics
, social and behavioral sciences and technology
. There are three levels of entry accepted.
One of the founders of the Exhibition, Father Tom Burke
, died in March 2008. An award at the event was named after him in his memory.
Aer Lingus
sponsored the competition for the first 33 years. 2010 was the tenth year in which the Exhibition was sponsored by BT. It has produced at least one author (Sarah Flannery
) and one millionaire (Patrick Collison
). Many of the past winners have gone on to establish international companies on the technology they developed. One of the most notable was Baltimore Technologies
.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
every January since 1965 for encouraging interest in science in secondary and primary schools, currently sponsored by BT Ireland
BT Ireland
BT Communications Limited is a telecommunications and internet company in Ireland. It is a subsidiary of BT Group plc.-Esat Telecom:The company was founded in 1990 by Denis O'Brien, and was originally known as Esat Telecom...
. There were 1,616 entries for the 2009 contest http://www.btyoungscientist.ie/media/pressreleases.php?id=20, five hundred of which were selected for the Exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
. In each and Technology Exhibition advance to participate in international events such as the European Union Contest for Young Scientists
European Union Contest for Young Scientists
The European Union Contest for Young Scientists is a science fair, initiated by the European Commission. It is a part of the European Union Framework Programmes on Research, and is managed by the Directorate General for Research in the European Commission....
and the Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar
Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar
Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar is an annual science event organised in connection with the Nobel Prize ceremonies in Stockholm...
.
There are four categories in which projects are awarded to: biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, social and behavioral sciences and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. There are three levels of entry accepted.
One of the founders of the Exhibition, Father Tom Burke
Tom Burke
Thomas Burke was an American athlete. He was the first Olympic champion in the 100 and 400 metres races.-Biography:...
, died in March 2008. An award at the event was named after him in his memory.
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...
sponsored the competition for the first 33 years. 2010 was the tenth year in which the Exhibition was sponsored by BT. It has produced at least one author (Sarah Flannery
Sarah Flannery
Sarah Flannery was, at sixteen years old, the winner of the 1999 Esat Young Scientist Exhibition for development of the Cayley–Purser algorithm, based on work she had done with researchers at Baltimore Technologies during a brief internship there...
) and one millionaire (Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison
Patrick Collison , is an Irish scientist and entrepreneur from County Limerick. He was the winner of the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen. He was also the individual runner-up at the 40th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.-Early life:Patrick...
). Many of the past winners have gone on to establish international companies on the technology they developed. One of the most notable was Baltimore Technologies
Baltimore Technologies
Baltimore Technologies was a leading Irish internet security firm, with its headquarters in Dublin Ireland. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was briefly part of the FTSE 100 Index during 2000.-History:...
.
Winners by year
| Year | Winner | Age | School | Project Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954(?)–1996 | N/A | — | — | N/A | |
| 1997 | Michael Flynn | 17 | Christian Brothers College, Cork | A COMPLEX study of chaotic behaviour in Irish weather | Data retrieved from Irish Times archive. Additional later life data unavailable. |
| 1998 | Raphael Hurley | — | — | The Mathematics of Monopoly | Gained a BSc (Hons) Joint Honours in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from University College Cork in 2005 Was named UCC Graduate of the Year in February 2006 |
| 1999 | Sarah Flannery Sarah Flannery Sarah Flannery was, at sixteen years old, the winner of the 1999 Esat Young Scientist Exhibition for development of the Cayley–Purser algorithm, based on work she had done with researchers at Baltimore Technologies during a brief internship there... |
16 | Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney Blarney Blarney is a town and townland in County Cork, Ireland. It lies north-west of Cork and is famed as the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone.-Tourism:Blarney town is a major tourist attraction in County Cork... |
Cryptography - A new algorithm versus the RSA | Wrote a book on her algorithm and number theory in general, In Code: A Mathematical Journey (ISBN 0-7611-2384-9) First place — 11th European Union Contest for Young Scientists European Union Contest for Young Scientists The European Union Contest for Young Scientists is a science fair, initiated by the European Commission. It is a part of the European Union Framework Programmes on Research, and is managed by the Directorate General for Research in the European Commission.... Gained a BA in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally... in 2003, worked for Wolfram Research for a period and in 2006 was working with the EA Electronic Arts Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers... Software Company in California California California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... , United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| 2000 | Thomas Gernon Thomas Gernon Thomas Gernon is an academic who won the Millennium Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition for his work on the numerical modeling of urbanization trends in Europe. His project The Geography and Mathematics of Europe’s Urban Centres was also awarded the prestigious Alumni Prize at the 12th... |
16 | Coláiste Rís Coláiste Rís Coláiste Rís is a secondary school in the centre of Dundalk, Co. Louth, Ireland. It is named in honour of Edmund Rice, the founder of the Irish Christian Brothers.-19th Century:... , Dundalk Dundalk Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations... , County Louth County Louth County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county... |
The Geography and Mathematics of Europe's Urban Centres | First time in the competition's 36-year history that a Social & Behavioural Sciences project won the top award Graduated with First Class Honours in Geology from University College Dublin in 2004, going on to complete a Ph.D. at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol His research on the dynamics of volcanic eruptions has taken him from diamond mines in Botswana Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... and Arctic Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , to many active volcanoes around the world, including those of Iceland Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... , Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... and Far Eastern Siberia Siberia Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th... Currently lecturer of geology at Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and... |
| 2001 | Peter Taylor, Shane Browne and Michael O'Toole | — | — | Investigating symmetrical shapes formed by polygons | |
| 2002 | David Michael O'Doherty | — | Gonzaga College Gonzaga College Gonzaga College is a private Roman Catholic boys' secondary school in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland , under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus . Founded in 1950, the curriculum is traditional, with a broad general programme of subjects including Latin and Greek at junior cycle and the opportunity... , Ranelagh Ranelagh Ranelagh is a residential area and urban village on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the postal district of Dublin 6. It is in the local government electoral area of Rathmines and the Dáil Constituency of Dublin South-East.-History:... , Dublin |
The Distribution of the Primes and the Underlying Order to Chaos. | Mathematics undergraduate at Cambridge Cambridge The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the... |
| 2003 | Adnan Osmani | 16 | St Finnian's College, Mullingar Mullingar Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath... , County Westmeath County Westmeath -Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar... |
The graphical technological and user-friendly advancement of the Internet browser: XWebs | Osmani filed for a patent for his networking socket Internet socket In computer networking, an Internet socket or network socket is an endpoint of a bidirectional inter-process communication flow across an Internet Protocol-based computer network, such as the Internet.... and web browser Web browser A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content... in 2003. |
| 2004 | Ronan Larkin | 16 | Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS is a Christian Brothers School in Dublin 8, Ireland. It was founded in 1864.-Primary school:The primary section caters for boys from seven to twelve years. It is called Sancta Maria CBS. It opened in 1954.-Secondary school:... , Dublin |
Generalised Continued Fractions | |
| 2005 | Patrick Collison Patrick Collison Patrick Collison , is an Irish scientist and entrepreneur from County Limerick. He was the winner of the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen. He was also the individual runner-up at the 40th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.-Early life:Patrick... |
16 | Castletroy College Castletroy College Castletroy College is a mixed community secondary school in Newtown, Castletroy, County Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in December 2000 and has over 100 rooms. It has over 1000 students.-Sport:... , Limerick Limerick Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the... |
Croma Croma Croma is a dialect of Lisp created by the 2005 Irish Young Scientist of the Year, Patrick Collison.This language went on to take second place at the 17th European Contest for Young Scientists in Moscow.... : a new dialect of Lisp Lisp A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp... |
Became an overnight millionaire at the age of 19 when he, alongside his 17-year-old brother John, sold their software company Auctomatic to a Canadia Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... n firm for more than €3 million |
| 2006 | Aisling Judge Aisling Judge Aisling Judge is an Irish scientist from Kinsale, County Cork. She was the winner of the 42nd Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2006 at the age of fourteen. She was the youngest winner in the history of the competition, until her record was taken two years later by thirteen-year-old Emer... |
14 | Kinsale Community School, County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
The development and evaluation of a biological food spoilage indicator | Third place — 18th European Union Contest for Young Scientists European Union Contest for Young Scientists The European Union Contest for Young Scientists is a science fair, initiated by the European Commission. It is a part of the European Union Framework Programmes on Research, and is managed by the Directorate General for Research in the European Commission.... ; First Junior Category Winner |
| 2007 | Abdusalam Abubakar Abdusalam Abubakar Abdusalam Abubakar is a Somali-born Irish scientist from County Dublin. He was the winner of the 43rd Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2007 at the age of seventeen. He went on to be named EU Young Scientist of the Year in September 2007.... |
17 | Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS is a Christian Brothers School in Dublin 8, Ireland. It was founded in 1864.-Primary school:The primary section caters for boys from seven to twelve years. It is called Sancta Maria CBS. It opened in 1954.-Secondary school:... , Dublin |
An Extension of Wiener's Attack on RSA | First place — 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists Originally from Somalia Somalia Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory... , had not used a computer before arriving in Ireland twenty months earlier |
| 2008 | Emer Jones Emer Jones Emer Jones is an Irish student from Tralee, County Kerry. She was the winner of the 44th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2008 at the age of thirteen. becoming the competition's youngest ever winner at that time... |
13 | Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, County Kerry County Kerry Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective... |
Research and Development of Emergency Sandbag Shelters | Youngest ever winner First winner from County Kerry First time her school had entered |
| 2009 | Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan are Irish students from Kinsale, County Cork. They were the winners of the 45th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2009 at the ages of thirteen and fourteen respectively... |
13/14 | Kinsale Community School, County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and Its Importance In Milk Production | Kinsale Community School became the first to hold two separate national award winners after Aisling Judge's 2006 win. First place — 21st European Union Contest for Young Scientists |
| 2010 | Richard O'Shea | 18 | Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Blarney Blarney Blarney is a town and townland in County Cork, Ireland. It lies north-west of Cork and is famed as the site of Blarney Castle, home of the legendary Blarney Stone.-Tourism:Blarney town is a major tourist attraction in County Cork... , County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countries | |
| 2011 | Alexander Amini Alexander Amini Alexander Amini is a scientist from Dublin, Ireland. He is the winner of the 23rd European Union Contest for Young Scientists and the 47th BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2011 at the age of fifteen for his project entitled: “Tennis Sensor Data Analysis: An Automated System for... |
15 | Castleknock College Castleknock College Castleknock College is a private , secondary school for boys aged between 13 and 18, which is situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, 8 km west of the city centre in Dublin, Ireland.-History:... , Dublin |
Tennis sensor data analysis | |
Winners by age
| Age | Winner | School | Project Title | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Emer Jones Emer Jones Emer Jones is an Irish student from Tralee, County Kerry. She was the winner of the 44th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2008 at the age of thirteen. becoming the competition's youngest ever winner at that time... |
Presentation Secondary School, Tralee, County Kerry County Kerry Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective... |
Research and Development of Emergency Sandbag Shelters | 2008 |
| 13/14 | Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan are Irish students from Kinsale, County Cork. They were the winners of the 45th Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2009 at the ages of thirteen and fourteen respectively... |
Kinsale Community School, County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and Its Importance In Milk Production | 2009 |
| 14 | Aisling Judge Aisling Judge Aisling Judge is an Irish scientist from Kinsale, County Cork. She was the winner of the 42nd Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2006 at the age of fourteen. She was the youngest winner in the history of the competition, until her record was taken two years later by thirteen-year-old Emer... |
Kinsale Community School, County Cork County Cork County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county... |
The development and evaluation of a biological food spoilage indicator | 2006 |