There was lots of interest in the Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) stand at the 2009 BT Young Scientist Exhibition this year.
Among the constant stream of visitors to the DSE “Energy House” was Dr Jimmy Devins, Minister of State for Science and Innovation.
“Engineering Energy” was the theme of the stand which provided a large-scale “Engineering Energy House”, with three rooms and a garden area highlighting today’s energy issues and engineering solutions.
“The idea behind using the house was that it would help to personalise the energy challenges facing the audience, while the solutions offered will aim to help audiences make the connection between the large scale energy solutions offered by engineering and the needs in their own lives,” said Cathy Foley of DSE.
“The stand was very popular and we even acquired a few ‘squatters’ who came to stay with us for long periods over the three days,” she said.
The living room of the house showed the engineering behind heating our homes, and the engineering involved in solar energy heating, insulation and geothermal energy.
The kitchen area showed how much effort goes into bringing energy into a home, and the engineering behind water. Engineers design and develop systems not only to clean the water but also to transport it to our homes.
The garden area looked at the engineering behind photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels and solar compacting waste bins.
Results
Two Co Cork second-year students won the 2009 BT Young Scientist title. Liam McCarthy (13) and John O’Callaghan (14) were presented with their €5,000 prize and trophy by the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen.
Their project “The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and its Importance in Milk Production” was praised by Chris Clark, chief executive of BT Ireland, who said that it “not only showed ingenuity and creativity, but is a prime example of a innovative idea that has commercial viability”.
Full results for the 2009 BT Young Scientist are available in the Irish Times website.
Also on our stand
The participants on our stand this year included:
- Discover Primary Science
- Discover Sensors, who ran a competition where participants had to identify 10 different sensors in the house
- Steps to Engineering
- T4, the Support Service for Technology Subjects at Leaving Certificate
- The Science Gallery, which hosted a debate on whether Ireland should go nuclear
T4 showed a robot with a solar panel on a robotic arm. It can track light sources to maximise the energy produced by the panel. T4 staff were also on hand to explain major ongoing developments in technology subjects in our schools.
DSE also ran workshops on the balcony of the Main Hall.
‘Creative thinking’
“The exhibition promotes an enthusiasm for science amongst students, and it provides a perfect platform for young students to showcase their innovative and creative thinking,” says DSE’s Director, Peter Brabazon.
“Understanding science and the impact it has on our lives is fundamental to understanding and appreciating the world we live in. And engineering, which is the appliance of science, is crucial to the growth and resurgence of our economy.
“I’m sure that the BT Young Scientist Exhibition will provoke students to think about the prevalence of science and engineering in our lives and to consider the fact that they are shaping the world we live in.”
Learn more
View a video from RTÉ on the January 2009 Young Scientist exhibition
Read the Young Scientist blog on Bebo
Learn more about T4′s work
