The countdown – BT’s final touches

Oh we are all excited here at BT Towers, as we see the results of our plotting and planning come to fruition. Many of you may not know that BT organises the exhibition from beginning to end – a mammoth task for us here, but one that we’d definitely list as a highlight in our careers.

Each year we endeavour to evolve and enhance the exhibition (a lot of alliteration in that sentence!) – and this isn’t always easy when it has been of such a high standard for the past 47 years. But this year we’ve made a number of changes that we hope you’ll appreciate and enjoy. We are delighted to be joined this year by a number of excellent partners including Analog Devices, Intel, RTE and the Department of Education & Skills and a whole host of other supportive organisations. CoderDojo is coming along, the free computer club movement that is getting wall to wall media coverage these days for providing computer coding classes to young kids. NASA Astronaut Dan Tani is also arriving in (not by shuttle…) to talk to visitors about his amazing career. Other special acts include RobotWars, 3-D Theatre, Little Big Top, and W5!

The MCs always play a big part in the exhibition – opening up the exhibition on Wednesday and announcing the awards on Friday – and not only has the wonderful Aidan Power come on board again this year, we’ve also recruited Roisin Ni Thomain, a TG4 presenter and qualified primary school teacher. Speaking about why she accepted the role of MC, Roisin said, “I’m honored to be chosen this year and feel it’s vital we invest in young minds, especially in the current climate. I have seen the list of entries and I’m bowled over by the innovation and creativity of Ireland’s next wave of scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs!”

Only six more sleeps now till what we believe is the best event of its kind in Europe – come visit and show your support for the students that are finding ways to ‘create tomorrow.’

Priscilla

Priscilla O’Regan, Head of Communications, BT Ireland

Ellen MacArthur inspires our BT Young Scientists & Technologists

Ellen MacArthur inspires our BT Young Scientists & Technologists

As we gear up for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition itself, we invited world-record breaking sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur to share her thoughts on sustainability and innovation with the students, this week (6th December).

Ellen and her foundation (www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org) have developed a “circular economy” model – where products are designed to take a new lease of life when they become worn out, or broken. So rather than just being thrown away, products are designed to become something new. You can watch a short video on what it’s all about here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCRKvDyyHmI

Ellen is dedicated to developing the next generation of business thinkers (as well as working with existing businesses to re-design their products). Last night she hosted a webchat and call for us, where she was joined by more than 75 BT Young Scientists & Technologists.

She took more than 25 questions during the BT Conferencing event. Speaking from her home town of Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, Ellen covered topics ranging from sailing a boat made from recycled materials, to the re-design of domestic products. After the call, she told us how impressed she was with the quality of questions from Irish students.

As part of the BT Business of Science & Technology Programme, Ellen will travel to Dublin in March 2012 to lead a workshop and challenge participating pupils to re-think and re-design their ideas.

To listen to the session, just dial +44 (0) 207 136 9233, enter the PIN – 97098652# and then choose option 1.

At last. The qualified projects list is in.

At last. The qualified projects list is in. I’ve waited months for the evidence to wing it far and wide to show what talent exists in our schools and what an unrivalled outlet the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition provides. Bees, bogs, fertiliser, fiddles, fruit bowls, pigs and pine cones – surely come January, there will be few buildings in the world where in one week so many ideas are unearthed and inventions unveiled?

I’m delighted too that entry numbers to the exhibition continue to grow. 48 years and it has stood the test of time. This contrasts with the US, for example, where an article in the New York Times in December 2010, headlined ‘In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive’ http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/26/science/26fair.html highlights that science events there are dwindling due to the challenging economic times we live in. On the island of Ireland, we’ve created an eco-system that helps the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition to go from strength to strength. BT, our partners, students, teachers, judges, parents, exhibitors and visitors, each playing a vital role in supporting ideas generation and recognition. Not long to go now before we are all back in the RDS where you cannot help but be uplifted and inspired.
Priscilla O’Regan – Head of Communications, BT Ireland

Leaving Certificate Results 2011 – A message from Graham Sutherland, BT

Delighted with the news last week that Emer Jones, a past winner of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, received six A1s and four A2s in her Leaving Certificate. She achieved A1’s in Physics, Biology and Chemistry and an A2 in both Maths and Applied Maths, and has secured a place in the prestigious Cambridge University in the UK where she will study Physics. Emer was just 13 years old when she took home the overall prize for the exhibition in 2008. A student of Presentation School, Tralee, Co Kerry her project entitled ‘Research and Development of Emergency Sandbag Shelters’ examined the use of native materials to enhance the stability of emergency sandbag shelters used in disaster relief.

It wasn’t all good news about the Leaving Certificate results however, as there were disappointing trends in the sciences and maths. Graduates with science and maths fluency are imperative if we are to address the challenges facing our country and build a smart economy. While this year’s Leaving Certificate results shows that some students may have struggled in these areas, we hope that with added support such as bonus points for maths and growing participation levels in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, more students will embrace these subjects to build a strong future for themselves and their country.

BT is committed to playing a part because we need skilled employees, innovation is at our core, and a strong Ireland North and South is good for our future. That is why we announced that we will organise and sponsor the exhibition for another three years, and will invest a minimum of €2 million into making it an even greater success.

I’d like to congratulate Emer on her excellent results, as well as all of the other students who undertook state exams this year. Well done.

Graham
Graham Sutherland, CEO, BT in Ireland

BT Business of Science & Technology

Last week we completed the 2nd year of the BT Business of Science & Technology at Nova UCD. A great event with 31 enthusiastic participants from all over Ireland, 7 great mentors from BT and many entrepreneurs were involved.

The students who worked in groups further development the business developments models for 7 of the projects that won awards at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2011. Five young entrepreneurs were awarded summer placements in two Irish universities following their success at the Programme. The secondary school students underwent an intensive course in commercialisation skills, and displayed a natural flair for business when tasked with creating viable businesses from ideas on pioneering sports equipment, biomass fuel development and a flood barrier for domestic use.

A team comprising of Katie Pierce O’Shea from Coláiste na Sceilge, Co. Kerry, Barry Holland, from Clonakilty Community College, Co. Cork, Kate O’Regan, from Loreto College, St Stephens Green, Dublin and Romy Gerring from Banbridge Academy, Co. Down won the overall group award. The group worked on P-row-tect, a specially designed rowing glove Katie had entered into the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in January. The judging panel was impressed by the marketability and originality of the product and Katie’s identification of a gap not currently filled in the market. The budding young entrepreneur is getting ready to target teams competing in the London 2012 Olympic Games.

William Clackett also from Banbridge Academy, Co. Down was named best individual for the skills and business acumen he developed over the week of the programme. William’s project was based on research into the affects of loo roll choices on the environment.

Colm O’Neill, Managing Director, Business, BT Ireland, said, “Business executives that worked with the students this week were given a real uplift – these budding entrepreneurs don’t focus on the negatives, they are too busy inventing the solutions. We should look at as many opportunities as possible to give students business skills from an earlier age – whether it means changes to the school curriculum or more one week placements in enterprises across the island, for example.”

Dr Pat Frain, Director, NovaUCD, said “This Programme, devised by BT and delivered by NovaUCD, has challenged the students’ thinking and helped them to understand and work through some of the critical steps required to transform ideas into commercial reality. NovaUCD is delighted to have had the opportunity to work with BT on this important initiative to help develop an entrepreneurial culture amongst second level students in Ireland.”

The third level summer placements are organised and funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and comprise of a one week placement at University of Limerick (UL)/National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG).

Aisling Judge 2006 winner talks about this year’s event

Hi everyone!!

I’m one of the past winners and have returned again to visit the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2011 – you just cant keep me away!!!

I have just started my first year in university, studying Bioprocess engineering in UCD which is great!! The BT Young Scientist helped me so much in deciding what I wanted to study this year. Coming to the exhibition every year and seeing all the great projects inspired me to look into a career in science.

I went to the student club last night and helped out with the irish quiz for the first time in years and it was great to get a chance to meet everyone. The red-coats certainly organised an incredible night!! Even students from Northern Ireland who had never spoken Irish before were picking up a few words from their new friends. I think everyone had a great time – I know I did!!!

Good luck to everyone for the awards tonight – but remeber just being here is an incredible achievement and the standard of projects this year is higher than ever. I hope you are all haveing the time of your life because I know I certainly am and I might even see some of you here again next year!!

Best of Luck,

Aisling

A Message from Graham Sutherland, CEO

Hello everyone.

Another exhibition under our belts, and what a special exhibition it turned out to be. The support in 2011 was unprecedented, perhaps spurred on by the need for hope and optimism in the face of economic adversity. It would be hard not to be uplifted and inspired by what we achieved in the RDS last week – to view students, teachers, parents, judges, sponsors, exhibitors, media, policy makers and BT volunteers collectively working together showed the growing desire to focus on the future and excel as an island. We need to maintain this desire and can-do attitude now and not let challenging economic conditions overshadow the great activities that are happening throughout the island every day.

On behalf of BT, I would like to thank everyone involved, and congratulate everyone that took part – you raised our spirits and demonstrated that there’s an abundance of talent ready and willing to lead us to a better future.

Thank you.
Graham Sutherland

Brian McKenna, Loreto College Coleraine, talks of his BTYSTE experience

The dust is settling on the royal blue uniforms of the Loreto students. Its getting time to dust ourselves down, check the e-mails of the girls and VIPs that have been collected and think about GCSE coursework. Their greying teacher (me!) is finding his blood pressure heading towards normal levels and is thinking about lunch and GCSE coursework!

Its good to relax at last enjoy the newly reinstated best school award which we won in 1987 and 1988 – I’m not sure when the award ended but I don’t think it was 1989! Our newly discovered physical scientist Jack McCann is presently being harassed at the back of the RDS explaining crystallolcrystalloluminescence – if he can spell it. The twin McMullans are attempting to win bets on the McMullan card trick – if you want to try it hold a card at a shallow angle (less than 50
degrees) drop it and watch it fall to one side of the vertical, increase the angle and watch it drop to the other side. Sean McKendry is awaiting his mothers kisses as he cracks up explaining cracking up in cornflour.

It’s been another wonderful year and my last year as a full time teacher. I hope some the old Young Scientists from Mount Lourdes Eniskillen, St Mary’s, Limavady and Loreto Coleraine manage to spot this blog and think back to the good times we’ve had as I’ve walked aimlessly around exhibition halls all over Ireland, the U.K, the USA and those who won prizes on the European stage.

Work goes on – we’ll be at the Odyssey in June and at the London Big Bang in March. Jack will take LA by storm in May as he spreads crystallolcrystalloluminescence worldwide.

Still crazy after all these year.

Brian McKenna

Émer Jones 2008 winner talks about the event

Hi everybody!

So, here I am up in the media office, and it’s so quiet. Compared to downstairs anyway! The buzz in the exhibition hall is absolutely electric; it is packed and everybody is so excited! Now that I have a few minutes up here away from the buzz, it has just hit me just how incredible this event is; it is a highlight of my year and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

There is simply so much happening here. There are hundreds of projects; I still haven’t got a chance to see all of them. They are all so diverse and cover a multitude of topics. I don’t think it would be possible to be bored here! The Young Scientists is a week to have a blast; everybody has so much fun. Last night, a few of the past winners decided to help out at the quiz, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. Even though it was all ‘as Gaeilge’ and there was a little… or rather a lot.. of dodgy translating and guessing at what the questions meant, it was such a fun evening.. I even learned a cúpla focal!

Well I am about to head back down to the main hall and soak up even more of the unique atmosphere; there are plenty more projects to see and students to have a laugh with! The awards ceremony will be in a few hours and i cannot wait to find out which projects will win prizes and who this year’s Young Scientist will be… I wonder if I have guessed correctly? (Probably not..!). The standard is so high this year, it has been some achievement for the students here to get to exhibit.. a serious well done! Hope I see everybody again next year!

Come along and see what an amazing event this is… I really can’t think of a more exciting way to spend a day!

All the best,

Émer

Richard O’Shea 2010, a few words on this year’s exhibition

The noise, the buzz and the craic, it’s that time of the year again. For me, going to the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition has become a sort of an annual tradition, I have been coming to the exhibition for 5 years now and each time it just gets bigger, madder and better.

In comparison to last year’s it’s a totally different experience – finally I can walk around and see all of the amazing projects and shows which the BT exhibition has to offer, and once again everything just seems to be better. All of the projects are utterly amazing, and I’m not just being nice in saying that, there are some truly innovative and unique projects up here, from monitoring the types of shot in tennis, miniaturising the diagnostic system of a defibrillator into a smart phone to using hedge trimmings as a new potential source of bio fuels. It’s great to see young people, even if they are just a little bit younger than myself, speaking so passionately and concisely about their projects.