Limerick schools take home prizes at BT Young Scientist competition

SCHOOL students from across Limerick are celebrating this weekend after scoring several awards at the annual Young Scientist competition.

Bright young minds from the city and county joined their contemporaries from across the country at the first in-person BT-sponsored event in Dublin's RDS.

And while the overall prize went to Abbey CBS over the border in Tipperary Town - a school managed by Limerick senior hurling boss John Kiely - students from Shannonside were left toasting a number of other category wins.

Sadie Loftus, of Salesian Secondary College in Pallaskenry, won the contest's Alexion Award for her investigation into the use of electrical impulses to treat and manage Raynaud's, a condition usually triggered by cold temperatures, anxiety or stress, which sees ones blood vessels go into a temporary spasm.

BREAKING: More All-Ireland success for John Kiely's team — this time in Young Scientist competition

In Newcastle West, Desmond College students Padraig Doherty and Madison Ryan were celebrating after their 'rubbish physics' project won an Irish Science Teachers Association special award.

It was also highly commended by competition judges.

Payments firm Stripe, which of course was founded by Castletroy College-educated brothers John and Patrick Collison - the latter a past winner of the BT Young Scientist title - sponsored an award this year.

That was for the educator of excellence, and it went to Donal Enright, who teaches at Desmond College.

Mr Enright…Winner of the Stripe Educator of Excellence Award 2023
Your hard work, enthusiasm and and dedication to the @BTYSTE is to be admired and can be seen in the students you mentor.
Thank you for all that you do for our students ⭐️@LCETBSchools @Lisnacullia @stripe pic.twitter.com/OrnhjNNRUZ

— Desmond College (@desmondcollege) January 14, 2023

There were a further two pieces of recognition awarded to students of the Newcastle West secondary school: Ethan Kirwan and Jack Kiely's project looking at the treatment of heart attacks was highly commended.

And a display award went to Edel McMahon, who came up with a way of enabling people to navigate stairs more easily.

Mungret Community College students Aaron Waldron and Conor Quinlivan won third place in the senior group category for their investigation looking at the density of muons, which are cosmic rays.

It was the first of two prizes for the pair, after they took home a special award from the Institute of Physics in Ireland.

Sean O'Sulllivan of Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom took third place in the intermediate individual category for his presentation on wind generation.

Congratulations to @colaiste student Seán O Sullivan who has won 3rd prize in the intermediate Technology Category at this years @BTYSTE Sean was also recipient of the Greencoat Renewables Technology Special Award, an amazing achievement, well done Seán @LCETBSchools #BTYSE2023 pic.twitter.com/rdinjZZAFs

— Coláiste Chiaráin (@colaiste) January 14, 2023

This project was recognised by Greencoat Renewables with a special award.

Elsewhere at Coláiste Chiaráin, Katelyn Prior, Cairlin Quain and Aiden Oscar won a display award for their product, which is a wearable device to alert and remind the user to apply sunscreen.

Colaiste Nano Nagle students Minahil Mir, Tamima Abedin and Abbey McNamara took third prize in the intermediate group category for their project, entitled Hit the Books. The trio also won the Cisco award for their theme.

This evening, Dr Pamela Byrne was delighted to present the FSAI Special Award to 2nd Year students Wagma, Laiba and Lana from @colnanonagle for their app 'Keepin' it Halal' at @BTYSTE. Congrats to all! @Prior_Samantha. pic.twitter.com/iZxfQv5LOi

— FoodSafetyAuthority (@FSAIinfo) January 13, 2023

The school at Sexton Street in the city centre also had other entrants into the winners' enclosure - Laiba Mir, Wagma Jan and Lana Qaddoura were recognised by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland for their project, codenamed Keeping it Halal.

This was also highly commended by competition judges.

In a topical project, Laurel Hill secondary school's Rafiah Islam asked whether stigma is holding the development of nuclear power back in Ireland.

Their schoolmates Kate Murphy, Aoife Henry and Eabha Halley were highly commended by judges for their project, entitled Taller Together.

And in Kilmallock, Coláiste Iósaef Community College students Darcy Hanley-Cronin, Sinead Harte, and Marta Manero were given a judges' display award for their study looking into the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescent boys in an Irish school.