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The following entries were category winners at the 2024 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
Biological & Ecological
Junior
Group: 1. Laura Fox, Lucy Keane, Niamh Noone, Optimising Hydroponics for Use in Developing Countries, Moate Community School 2. Anna Duggan, Alvy Fitzgerald, Leah O’Sullivan, An Investigation into the Mathematical Relationship Between Plant Biomass and Leaf Surface Area, as well as the Effects of Simulated Insect Herbivory on Plant Biomass, St Mary’s Secondary School Mallow 3. Siena Ryan, Una O’Shea, Emma O’Sullivan, Memory Matters: Investigating the Forgetting Curve, Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine.
Individual: 1. Naomi Picovici, Herbs for Hives- An investigation into locally-sourced herbal treatments to combat Varroa mite infestation on Irish honey bees. St. Leo’s College. 2. Nikhil Shanmuga Sundaram, The Fight against Blight! Christian Brothers College, Cork 3. Max Power, The Effect of Household Substances on Yeast. Christian Brothers College.
Intermediate
Group: 1. Éadaoin Farrell, Ciarán Farrell, Just One Leg to Stand On: Do varying weather conditions affect the energy conservation of roosting birds? St Peter’s Community School 2. Odhran O’Sullivan, Matthew Herbert, Is Chlorine harming the lungs of indoor pool Lifeguards? An Investigation into the air quality of indoor pools and the effects on lifeguards lungs, Christian Brothers College, Cork 3. Claire O’Regan, Emily McGrath, Rachel O’Connor, Is the movement competence element of physical literacy related to general happiness? Coláiste Choilm
Individual: 1. Cian Ó Cadhla, Rewilding Ireland: Understanding The Boundaries To Wolf Reintroduction In Ireland, Ardscoil na Mara 2. Martha Feely, Waging War on the Killer Kiwi: Project triangulatus, St Joseph’s Secondary School 3. Kevin Lannon-Walsh, Exploring the Influence of Food-Based Inhibitors on Sucrase Activity to Enhance Endurance Performance, Gonzaga College.
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Senior
Group: 1. Jane Faulkner, Robyn Given, Which is the most ‘essential’ essential oil at preventing the growth of fungal mould on citrus fruits, Abbey Vocational School 2. Maeve Carroll, Lillian Quinn, Tori Kirwan “HURRY UP AND LEAF” - an investigation of accelerating of decomposition of leaves on a lawn, Cashel Community School 3. Caragh Killeen, Cian McInerney, “Sea the Smell is Gone” with Bio-Liser: A Seaweed-Derived Pyrogenic Biochar for Enhanced Soil Stability, Reduced Nutrient Loss, Emission Control and Odor Mitigation. St Joseph’s Community College
Individual: 1. Sean Allen, Rooting for Sustainability: An Exploration of More Sustainable Grassland Nutrient Management for a Greener Future, Roscommon Community College 2. Lynetta Wang, Zinc finger CCHC domain-containing protein 4 (ZCCHC4) overexpression and its effect on level of p53 responses in pancreatic cancer, The Institute of Education 3. Vedh Kannan, Metastasis in Silico: Computational Models and Targeted Approaches, Sutton Park School.
Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences
Junior
Group: 1. Sagnik Das, Sahibjit Singh, Generalisations of Marion Walter’s Theorem, Christian Brothers, Synge St. 2. Torran Millar, Feidhlim Kevin Ginty, Conan Seino, How can the mechanics in origami be applied to modern engineering. Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk 3. Saoirse Gallagher, Sienna Devine, Imscrúdú ar éifeachtúlacht Olann gharbh mar inslitheoir tí ailtéarnach. Coláiste Ailigh
Individual: 1. Louis Monks, Go With The Flow, St Joseph’s Secondary School 2. Shauna Esmonde, Guardian of the Hidden Galaxy Clusters, Loreto Secondary School
Intermediate
Group 1. Isobel Grimes-Merrigan, Niamh Kearns, *Shock Rocks*, Loreto Secondary School 2. Chloe Ní Chonghaile, Mairtin O Conghaile, Amy Ní Chléirigh, Cumhacht na dtonn ar Inis Meáin – Cén tionchar a bhíonn ag crios an bhrutha ar chreimeadh agus ar sil-leagan ar Inis Meáin? Coláiste Naomh Eoin 3. Habiba Dar, Shafa Dar, An investigation into a new taxonomy of exoplanets, Coláiste Fionnchua
Individual: 1. Soca Pearlmutter, The Math Behind Dobble, St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule 2. Angelina O Neill, Biomaterials and Bioplastics. A focus towards a circular economy Presentation College Headford 3. Bláithín Brady, Serene sonics: Investigating the use of binaural tones to alter brain waves, Ursuline College.
Senior
Group 1. Harry O’Leary, Eoghan Mac Muiris, Alec Hannan, Solar Imaging for Societal Benefit: Forecasting and Protecting against Solar Storms. Gonzaga College 2. Lexie Melrose, Rebecca Lewis, Investigating methods for reclaiming lithium from used batteries, St Mary’s College. 3. Ciara McDermott, Siobhán O’Brien, Coastal Crumbling, Loreto Secondary School.
Individual: 1. Tomás Markey, A 4-Stage Advancement Towards Direct Air Capture, St. Brogan’s College, Bandon 2. Alex Neff, Níos mó Fuacht, Níos mó Cumhacht?, Gaelcholáiste Charraig Ui Leighin, Joanna Lipska, Sound of Tensegrity, Newbridge College
Health & Wellbeing
Junior
Group: 1. Sibeal Egan, Doireann Naughten, Fowl Play: Investigating the Effectiveness of Improved Husbandry and Diet at Reducing the Bacterial Contamination of Hen Eggs, Moate Community School 2. Wren Stynes, Zora Stojakovic, Is TikTok the next pandemic?, Tyndall College 3. Conor Taggert, Thomas Loughran, Speed 3 What Make Athletes Preform Best!, St Patrick’s College
Individual: 1. Ronan Moloney, Assessment of the impact of a skill specific plyometrics plan on a juvenile GAA team, Kinsale Community School 2. Emily Bertoletti, The Effect on Health and Wellbeing of Climate Change, Awareness Amongst People Living in Ireland and their Level of Engagement with Climate Change Action - A Statistical Analysis, Kinsale Community School 3. Beth Scully, Volatile Organic Compounds and their impact on our everyday lives, St Joseph’s Secondary School
Intermediate
Group: 1. Caoimhe McCaul, Cara Mulligan, Two Metres-Too Much, Too Little or Irrelevant?, Holy Faith Secondary School 2. Kate O’Connor, Sophie Ryan, Suncream Science: Unmasking SPF Levels, Investigating Harmful Ingredients, and Crafting Custom Sun Protection, Pobalscoil Inbhear Scéine 3. Rachel Hamm, Ella Ryan, Banana Bandages: A Sustainable Approach to Wound Care, Moate Community School
Individual: 1. Ava McGurk, The Invalidation of Emotion Through Toxic Positivity and its Long-term Effect on Mental Health, St Dominic’s High School 2. Mary Lilibeth, Curry Glynn, Safety in Your Hands: A mobile application integrating location-based equipment discovery and comprehensive first aid education to enhance overall emergency response outcomes., Mount St Michael 3. Sadie Loftus, An investigation into the use of external electrical stimulation in the treatment and management of Raynaud’s disease with an analysis of the impact of this disease on the diagnosed population. Salesian Secondary College
Senior
Group: 1. Isobel McAuliffe, Eva Flynn, The Wrist Assist, Tullamore College 2. Chloe Kelly-Flood, Dorka Apor, Kris Joy Baui, MONEY! MONEY! MONEY! St Louis High School 3. Aniruddh Sriram, Abhinav Sriram, Sam Jacob, B-Well, Coláiste Phádraig CBS
Individual: 1. Aoibheann Mangan, Enhancing Inhaler Technique Proficiency and Adherence in Pediatric Asthma Patients through Machine Learning-Based Intervention: A Comprehensive Study of Misuse Patterns and Technological Solutions, Mount St Michael 2. Anastasia Mazur, A Statistical Analysis into Students’ Attitudes Towards Sex Education in Irish Secondary Schools, Rockwell College 3. Kayleigh McNamara, Giving Girls a Voice: How Sucessful is the HSE at treating girls with endometriosis, Athlone Community College
Social & Behavioural Sciences
Junior
Group: 1. Claire Linehan, Aoife Ferguson, Aisling Lynch, An investigation into why women’s sport takes runner up place in the eyes of spectators compared to men’s sport. Kinsale Community School 2. Leigha Kinsella, Alex Simpson, Daniel O’Sullivan Westphal, Solar Panels – A Brighter future for our School using Microgeneration Technology, St Paul’s Community College 3. Grace Joyce, Amira Curran, Does the Rising Cost of Living Affect our Ability to Live Sustainably? - A Case Study of a Suburban Town in Co. Kildare, Newbridge College
Individual: 1. Alistair Cian, The gut microbiome, what do YOU know?, Coláiste Cholmcille 2. Emily Drinan, Title. Sustainability, Climate and Equity – When it comes to food, are teenagers prepared to put their money where their mouth is?, Schull Community College 3. Emma Mullen, Unlocking hidden Superpowers: Exploring the strengths of neurodiversity, St. Joseph’s Secondary School
Intermediate
Group: 1. Ava Gaffney, Nicole Kellett, Are our bus routes effective? Ballinamore Community School 2. Callum Leech, Eoghan Morris, Jamie Lohan, Exploring Adolescent Digital Entrepreneurship: A Study Of Participation On Trading Apps Roscommon Community College, 3. Ciara Hughes, Bronwyn Crummy, I’m too texty for My Car, St Marys College
Individual: 1. Luke Blackwell, A statistical analysis of the wheelchair accessibility of different towns and a survey of public attitudes and awareness., C.B.S. Thurles 2. An Dinh, Are cities making us miserable? -The psychological impact of living in a city with poor urban design - Cork City, Christ King Girls’ Secondary School, 3. Eugenie Kelleher, An investigation into the effect of Artificial Intelligence Aids on learning achievements, creativity, and innovative thinking in Irish secondary school students., St Mary’s Secondary School Macroom
Senior
Group 1. Seán Murphy, Ethan Tanudra, Max Buinenko, Anchor, Colaiste Mhuire, 2. Charlie Dupuis, Hubert Kozlowski, Dylan Kennedy, Implementing Financial Literacy and Investing In Irish Teens, Colaiste Mhuire, 3. Ashlee Keogh, Aimee Keogh, Mind the gap: unravelling student study habits, Tallaght Community School
Individual: 1. Sean Sibindi, Psycho-acoustics and their applications in psychiatric conditioning. Athlone Community College 2. Victoria Geraghty, A statistical study of the perceived stress levels of first year post primary students during their transition to post primary school, Scoil Mhuire 3. Eva Duffy, Housing Crisis- Could Retirement Be The Key? St Marys College
Technology
Junior
Group 1. Domhnall Molloy, Terry Heffernan, Kerry Sun EweAlert: A Warning Device to Notify Sheep Farmers of Dog Attacks, Moate Community School, 2.Katie King, Keelin Kelly, MARCUSBot - Mechanical Axial Rotator Cleaning Up Seashores, Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, 3. Etaoin Healy-Bastow, Eva Grace, Wound Protection Cage, Kinsale Community School
Individual
1. Srinidhi Karthik, Removing biases in the world of Artificial Intelligence, Athlone Community College. 2. Addison Carey, Kildare Developing a Generative Adversarial Network to explore Cost of Living hotspots in Ireland. Celbridge Community School
Intermediate
Group 1. Liam Fuller, Joseph Mudrak, Sienna: Your Dynamic AI Voice Companion – Redefining Personal Assistance, Stratford College 2. Shaunak Mohapatra Nihal Reddy Mala Using generative adversarial networks to predict post rehabilitation effects on stroke victims, The Institute of Education 3. Ethan Ward, Donncha Enright, Designing and creating an AI platform which can aid in differentiating learning in mixed ability classrooms in a constructive learning setting, CBS The Green
Individual 1. Kamaya Gogna, Fiacla: Developing a Diagnostic Tool to Aid Dental Professionals in the Identification of Oral Radiolucencies on Panoramic Dental Radiographs (OPGs), St Joseph’s Secondary School 2. Éabha McBride, Using machine learning (ML) and classification algorithms to detect brain tumours in MRI, St Joseph’s Secondary School 3. Elliott Cave, How Noiseless Are Noiseless Pickups, Bandon Grammar School
Senior
Group 1. Aiden Oscar, Taha Njie, Portanos Portable, Extensible, Modular, Open Source Medical Device, Colaiste Chiarain Limerick, 2. Jim Culhane, Paula-Eve Culhane, CPR Pedal Chest Compression Device Mark II, Technology, Tarbert Comprehensive School 3. Minahil Mir, Tamima Abedin, To Belittle is to Be Little, Coláiste Nano Nagle
Individual 1. Solomon Doyle, DermAI: Novel Approach to the Mitigation of Algorithmic Bias within CNN Based Skin Lesion Classification, Dundalk Grammar School, 2. Weichen Huang, Artificial Multimodal Intelligence for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis and Aetiology Analysis, St Andrews College 3. Anne O’Donovan, ChatGPT-Powered Child Grooming Detection App for Social Media, Coláiste Choilm.