BT Young Scientist event to be held online again this year due to pandemic

The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is to be an online event again this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mari Cahalane, head organiser of the competition, said they had originally planned to hold the exhibition virtually for just one year, but that over 1,000 students will be showcasing 550 projects virtually next week.

Members of the public are invited to view the exhibition online between January 12th and 14th.

Ms Cahalane said judges were very happy with the standard of entries. Projects are submitted under four categories: biological and ecological; chemical, physical and mathematical sciences; social and behavioural sciences; and technology.

New Nasa telescope launched on journey ‘back to the birth of the universe’

---

Understanding the science of stress and loneliness

---

Ancient Egyptian mummy digitally ‘unwrapped’ for first time

---

Crop failures: Ireland and EU left behind as gene editing marches on

---

“We are finding that more and more, the projects are about solving real-life problems, and trying to direct the future,” she said, adding that Covid-19 and climate change were popular topics. “There are projects on the physical and psychological impacts of Covid.”

Ms Cahalane said the pandemic had made it easier to attract more people to see the budding young scientists’ projects. “We had [virtual] visitors from 77 countries last year, so you can say it has become a global event.”

She said it would likely move to a hybrid model of virtual and in-person events over the coming years. She believes entries should be viewable online when there is a return to in-person events, so they can reach a wider audience.

Members of the public can view the exhibition for free by registering atbtyoungscientist.com.