Five things we liked

The forgotten back garden

Caroline Fogarty and Eibhlín Vaughan conducted a survey to gauge young people’s knowledge of the ecosystems around them. The results were concerning: some of the respondents couldn’t identify a robin. So the girls from Presentation Secondary School, Thurles, developed a website to help teach youngsters about their own back gardens.

Smarter study: The Leaving Certificate biology experiment app

This mobile app from Killian Ryan, Michael Fitzgibbon and Emmett Ryan is soon to to be published on Google Play. It has all the course experiments as well as hints and exam questions, allowing bilogy students to revise on the move.

Chalara fraxinea, a catalyst for change in Irish hurling

David Jacob from Athlone Community College looks at the survival prospects for the traditional Irish ash hurley currently under threat from the pathogen Chalara fraxinea and the rise of the synthetic hurley.

Is catfishing becoming an increasingly serious issue for young people?

Kate Noonan, Karen O’Regan and Emma McMahon from St Mary’s High School, Cork, set up two fake Facebook accounts and sent friend requests to 200 people to gauge how willingly teenagers shared personal information with strangers. 63 per cent accepted the request and almost half sent messages.

Breakfast Bars? Like Cerealsly?

The fad of the breakfast bar was targeted by Carla MacLachlan, Aisling Doyle and Jane Edwards. The Loreto High School, Dublin, girls conducted research which showed that, while being a nutritious snack, the breakfast bar is no substitute for a proper bowl of cereal.