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
