Two schoolboys who took the top prize at this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition have also won first prize at the EU Young Scientist Contest.
John D. O’Callaghan and Liam McCarthy from Kinsale Community School in County Cork were presented with their €7,000 prize at the awards ceremony in Paris.
Milk production test
The pair both come from farming backgrounds. Their winning project was the development of a convenient test method for somatic cell count (SCC) and a demonstration of its importance in milk production.
The project was given high praise when it won in January, most notably for its simplicity and commercial viability.
As part of their prize for winning the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition last January, John D. and Liam won the right to compete alongside other young scientists and technologists from throughout Europe.
The EU contest
In the EU contest, John D. and Liam were competing against 130 top young scientists from across Europe, most of whom were considerably older than them.
Chris Clark, CEO of BT Ireland, said: “This is fantastic news and we are very proud of John D. and Liam’s latest achievement.
“As farmers’ sons, they were acutely aware of the challenges all farmers face. In developing this test method farmers may very soon have a practical and affordable way of dealing with milk souring.
“John D. and Liam are an inspiration to others so I hope the news of this win inspires students throughout the island to enter the 2010 exhibition.”
In the past 21 years of the EU contest, Irish entrants have taken home 11 awards in total.
Next year’s Young Scientist show
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2010 will take place in the RDS in Dublin 4 from 12–16 January 2010.
If you want to enter, don’t forget that the closing date for sending your one-page proposal is Monday, 5 October 2009.
Learn more
For more information on the exhibition, how to enter and ideas for your project, visit the BT Young Scientist website
