Young Scientist 2023 winners secure second prize at EU Young Scientists contest

Shane O’Connor and Liam Carew, winners of the 2023 BT Young Scientist Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE), were awarded second place at this year’s EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Brussels at the weekend.

The former students at Abbey School, Co Tipperary, assessed the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescents’ life and development.

Based on a survey of 2,000 students across Ireland they evaluated how their education experiences impacted their social, physical and mental wellbeing.

At EUCYS they competed against more than 130 young scientists from 36 countries, including the United States, Canada and South Korea.

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“It was an honour to represent Ireland in Brussels and share our work with the international Stem [science, technology engineering and mathematics] community. With the level of competition so high, we cannot believe our work has been recognised as one of Europe’s best today,” Mr O’Connor said.

“It is fantastic to end EUCYS on such a high,” Mr Carew added. “We are heading straight into our first year at UCC on Monday, and we can safely say the skills we developed at the BTYSTE and here at EUCYS have been crucial in preparing us for university life.”

BTYSTE head Mari Cahalane paid tribute to their achievement. “Liam and Shane reflect the high calibre of young Stem talent across Ireland,” she added.

Applications are open for the 60th BTYSTE, taking place from next January 10th to 13th. Entrants are asked to fill out an online application form and submit a one-page proposal outlining their idea. Qualified entries will be announced at the end of October and showcased at BTYSTE 2024 in Dublin’s RDS.