Four St Mary’s College entries in 
BT Young Scientist competition

The 57th edition of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition kicked off on Wednesday, with over 1,000 students from over 200 schools across the island of Ireland are taking part in the first ever virtual BTYSTE.

President Michael D Higgins gave the Opening Address at the official opening ceremony of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2021, which was free to view on the BTYSTE portal and on Facebook Live. Free registration is open at https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/

Students were up bright and early setting up their projects, and the first round of judging took place on Wednesday afternoon, with over 80 judges volunteering their time this week.

The St Mary’s students Maeve Stillman, Jennifer Doherty and Aimee Hegarty, Caitlin McFadden and Hollie Harkin have all submitted projects to do with issues surrounding the ongoing pandemic.

Maeve Stillman’s project is ‘Investigating the Effectiveness of Face Masks.’

She said: “This project investigates the effectiveness of face masks that are being used as PPE by the general public and designing and testing more effective alternatives.”

Jennifer Doherty and Aimee Hegarty explore ‘if there a link between lack of Vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19 in BAME’.

Their project looks at “skin colour,diet,culture and time spent in the Sun of various ethic groups are researched for possible links to a lack of vitamin D and COVID-19.”

Caitlin McFadden’s project also explores hand sanitisers, and provides ‘a comparative investigation of the efficacy of proprietary and home made hand sanitisers.’ She said that “in this time of COVID-19 and the crucial need to sanitise hands, I am investigating a range of proprietary and homemade sanitisers for their efficacy.”

Meanwhile, Hollie Harkin has investigated ‘the amount of plastic in face masks, gloves and hand sanitiser bottles used for protection against COVID-19.’ She has examined the environmental impact of these necessary items, and said: “Disposable face masks, gloves and sanitiser bottles when not disposed of properly enter the environment and cause problems.

“Their plastic content is investigated.”

The BTYSE virtual exhibition hall is jam-packed with exciting events, with something for all ages.

During the three-day exhibition, guests will hear from some very special guests, watch live entertainment acts and teachers will have access to a myriad of workshops at the new dedicated Teachers’ Area.

Speaking ahead of the Connecting Women In Technology (CWIT) Tech Starter event Simon Harris TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science commented “We are more aware than ever of the central role of science in our lives.

This event is designed to support and encourage students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.

“The new and emerging technologies of the 21st century have developed at unprecedented pace and have transformed the way that we all live and work.

“Digitalisation is here to stay and will be a key influence on our economy and our society. That is why we need young people like the students at this event to develop the skills for a more digitised future and to reach for the great possibility it presents.

“We need lots of different role models to be visible and to show the next generation that they can also follow their dreams in science. We have to deal with the gender gap that persists in the sector.

“Currently just over a third of STEM academic staff members in Irish universities are women. I am determined we need to do better here, and believe strongly in the maxim - if you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”

A number of events will be held today, Friday, on the BTYSE website https://portal.btyoungscientist.com/ and their Facebook page, including the all important Awards Ceremony at 1pm.