BT Young Scientists

Young Scientist Exhibition

Overview

An annual event since 1965, the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is much more than a competition; it is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime for the students who take part.

The exhibition itself is the final stage in the competition which is open to all second level students from Ireland, both North and South.

As well as the 550 student projects on display, there are a further four exhibition halls filled with science and technology based exhibits and entertainment, making it a thrilling event for those who enter and for general visitors too.
There are over 100 prizes to be won, including the prestigious BT Young Scientist(s) of the Year Award and the chance to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.

Many previous winners of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition have gone on to amazing careers in the science and technology industries. Indeed, many of them used their award as a springboard to launch their professional lives.

For more detailed information including entry details visit:
http://www.btyoungscientist.ie

BTYS 2022

Our school had three accepted entries for this year's BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition:

‘Blendlab’ - Stand number 4240 - Individual - Social and Behavioural Science

Joe O’Grady 4D has coded (4D) computer simulations of Junior Cycle science experiments using the application ‘blender’.

‘Developing an application to test security using python and web technologies’ - Stand number 2520 - Group - Technology

Christian Barton Randal (4A) and Niall Morahan (4C) have developed a suite of coding tests which can be used by any website to check for the most common hacking techniques to improve their online data security.

‘Coding a simulation of a predator and a prey’ - Stand number 2104 - Individual - Technology

Joe Molloy (1A) has coded a computer simulation of a predator-prey interaction which could be developed to predict how long an endangered species has in a given habitat before likely extinction.

Well done to Christian and Niall, who won the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) award, and also received High Commendation ribbons. Joe O'Grady also got a High Commendation ribbon, and Joe Molloy did excellently to be accepted first time out as a First Year. Many thanks to Mr Stephen McGroggan for all the help and support he gives to all BTYSTE entrants.

BTYS 2021

Over 1,000 students from across the island of Ireland took part in the first ever virtual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE). Our school had five projects in this year's exhibition:

· Studying is Hard, But Who had it Harder? (Seán Radcliffe)

· Using modern technology to emulate CHIP8 on a basic webpage (Christian Barton Randall and Niall Morahan)

· The overtraining of teenage boys (Eoin Sadlier and Ben Delaney)

· Why are the rocks red in Australia? (Harry O'Leary)

· The Effectiveness of Covid-19 Restrictions in a School Environment (Oisín Murray and Finn O'Neill)

Very well done to Harry O'Leary who was awarded third place in the Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Junior Individual category

The following students received Highly Commended ribbons: Seán Radcliffe, Christian Barton-Randall and Niall Morahan, and Oisín Murray and Finn O’Neill.

BTYS 2020

Well done to our students who participated in this year's BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition:

- Luke Rickard (6th Year): 'Learning to Communicate and Collaborate: Discovering optimal cooperative multiplayer non-zero-sum game strategies and environments using deep learning'. This project came second in the Senior Technology section.

- Alex McDonnell and Emmet O'Boyle (4th Year): 'What's the 'Carbon Cost'?' This project was awarded a commendation ribbon.

- Toby Burns, Justin Ikwu and Joe O'Grady (2nd Year): 'The Ultimate Smart Bike Lock'. This project won the ComReg award and came second in the Junior Technology section.

See more photos here.

BTYS 2019

Many congratulations to Luke Rickard (S5D), who represented Gonzaga at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2019 with his project on ‘How to Train Deep Neural Networks’ in Artificial Intelligence. His project won the Senior Individual prize in the Technology section and was also awarded the Nokia Bell Labs prize for best Technology project. Thank you to Mr McGroggan for all his supportive work and influence.

BTYS 2017

Myles Ryan, Kieran McGovern and Dan Morrissey (Transition Year).

'The aim of our project was to study Light-Bellied Brent Geese, birds that spend their winters here in Ireland, and to find out how much disturbance impacts them. We did over 200 hours of observation, during which we studied their numbers, location, and behaviours. We also surveyed the public to gauge their knowledge of Brent Geese and their understanding of why we need to protect these birds. We came to the conclusion that the best way of protecting the Brent Goose is to raise awareness of the Brent Goose.'

BTYS 2016

Both entries came from Transition Year.

Category: Intermediate Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences

"How realistic are artificial rugby pitches?"by James O'Grady

This project examined the bounce of a ball on a variety of surfaces.

Category: Social and Behavioural Intermediate,

"Have your say" by Eoghan Quinn, Charlie Goulding and Thomas Moore, a study of how our opinions are influenced by our peers.