SciFest aims to encourage a love of science through an investigative approach to learning and to provide an opportunity for students to display their scientific discoveries. The closing date for receipt of this year’s entry forms is Friday 12 March 2010. Visit the Scifest site for more details.

Check out the DSE Flickr account for more images from the BT Young Scientist and other DSE events.

Richard O’Shea from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Co Cork, won the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition for his project – “A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countries”.

At SciFest 2009 he was awarded first prize in the senior technology category and the Discover Sensors Award.

Sebastian Ryan, David Byrne and Conor Flynn, Mairist College, Athlone, won best project at SciFest 2009 in Athlone Institute of Technology and got highly commended at the BT Young Scientist.

Hazel Rogers and Shireen Data, Sutton Park School, Dublin, got highly commended in the junior category in life sciences at SciFest 2009 in Dublin Institute of Technology. They came third in the junior category in social and behavioural sciences at the BT Young Scientist.

Henrik Bruesecke, St Columba’s Comprehensive, Donegal, is pictured here with his maths teacher Kathleen Molloy. Henrik won best project at SciFest 2009 in Letterkenny Institute of Technology and was awarded second place in the senior individual category in technology at the BT Young Scientist.

Kevin Bluett, Meánscoil na mBráithre Criostaí, Kilkenny, won the best project award at SciFest 2009 in the Institute of Technology, Carlow, and was awarded first place in the senior individual category in technology at the BT Young Scientist.

Mairin Ryan, Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone, won second place in the junior category in physical sciences at SciFest 2009 in Athlone Institute of Technology. At the BT Young Scientist she won first place in the junior category in chemical, physical and mathematical sciences.

Watch an interview with Mairin on the DSE YouTube channel.

Richard received the prestigious honour at the end of this year’s competition, for his project entitled “A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countries”.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Richard’s stove can be built using very simple materials such as tin cans and nails which are very easy to find in third world countries. The stove minimises the amount of fuel required and smoke produced, and involves very simple tools such as a Swiss army knife.

Richard made a strong impression on the judges with his detailed research into the chemical processes involved in burning timber, the various designs he came up with and the engineering skill he showed in his construction work.

Award presentation

The Minister for Science, Technology, Innovation and Natural Resources, Conor Lenihan, presented Richard with a cheque for €5,000 and a Waterford Crystal trophy.

Richard will go on to represent Ireland at the 21st European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Lisbon next September.

A total of 1,135 students took part in this year’s BT Young Scientist competition, with 509 projects from 32 counties across Ireland.

Kate Nolan (10) from Ranelagh, Dublin, takes a call from the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan, on a "string telephone" at the Discover Primary Science stand at the BT Young Scientist exhibition.

Kate Nolan tries to lift a paper clip from a glass of water using a magnet, watched by Finola Dolan, Minister Conor Lenihan and Fiona Connelly at the Discover Primary Science stand.

The Minister with Peter Brabazon, Director of Discover Science & Engineering, at DSE's stand at the show, featuring a Formula 1 racing car. Photographs by Brendan Duffy.

Scientists, technologists and inventors play a key role in sports such as soccer, from the invention of boots and footballs to better diets and fitness regimes, treating injuries and improving the skills of the players.

Here are five examples of how a lot of science goes into soccer…

1. Bending it like Beckham

Among the highlights at the 2010 Young Scientist show is “Bend it Like Beckham”. ScienceShowsForSchools.com has an educational and entertaining show which reveals how David Beckham is a scientific genius.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. The birth of the Predator

As a midfielder for Liverpool FC in the 1980s, Craig Johnston analysed how the design of the team’s boots could be improved to enhance the players’ control of the ball. A

After retiring from football, he developed the Predator, now the world’s best selling boot worn by David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson. Watch the 2007 Science Week Lecture in which Craig explains his life as an inventor.

3. Penalty robots

Researchers in Zurich are carrying out a series of tests to analyse the behaviour of goalkeepers in a penalty situation. They have developed a virtual goal as well as a penalty-taking robot:

Click here to view the embedded video.

4. Nanotech treats cartilage injuries

Cartilage injuries can be a big problem in soccer and other sports, as well as skiing and everyday life. Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue that has limited ability to heal itself.

But researchers at Brown University, Rhode Island, in the US may have found a way of coaxing cells of human cartilage to regenerate – by using carbon nanotubes to mimic the roughness of real tissues.

They are developing materials with rough textures at a tiny scale. The diameter of a nanotube is in the order of a few nanometres (about 1/50,000th of the width of a human hair), and can be up to several millimetres in length.

Read about the science behind the nanotubes

Eimear O’Carroll and Rhona Togher now run Restored Hearing Ltd with Anthony Carolan, their former physics teacher at Ursuline College in Sligo.

RestoredHearing.ie's website

For the Young Scientist competition the team devised a simple therapy which eases temporary tinnitus for anyone with internet access and a set of outer ear headphones.

Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears, and temporary tinnitus can be caused by factors such as loud music at a concert or disco, overuse of an MP3 player, or workplace noise.

“It’s usually a ringing or a shrill high-pitched sound, caused by a bending of the tiny hairs which carry sound receptors in the inner ear,” Eimear explains.

Customers logging onto their website at RestoredHearing.ie can choose from a range of low frequency tones which are played back.

They say that the soothing tones helped to stop the high-pitched ringing for more than 95% of people tested with the technology.

“We’re looking at the possibility of a more mobile device, or maybe developing a mobile phone application,” Eimear says.

Business award

Last month their company won the “Emerging Technology Award” at the Connacht provincial final of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, and they will go on to the national finals later this year.

Rhona, Eimear and school collegue Niamh Chapman took the group runners up award at the 2009 BT Young Scientist show. They received €1,200 and a BT Perpetual trophy for their project, entitled “The Sound of Silence – An Investigation into Low Frequency Therapy for Tinnitus Sufferers”.

Rhona has gone on to university in Dublin, while Eimear is now studying physics at the University of Edinburgh. With the three company founders running their online business from three different places, they say they still manage to meet often enough to discuss ongoing developments.

Learn more

Read what other BT Young Scientist winners did next

The Irish Times has singled out several projects which reflect the wide range of experiments and innovations at this year’s show, including:

• A look at the effects of home-use hair dyes. Students from Holy Faith Secondary School in Clontarf, Dublin, have tested hair samples before and after treatment with various products
• A “sensory aid” for visual and audio stimulation of children with autism – a project by a group from St Louis Grammar School, Kilkeel, Co Down
• A series of tests to measure the accuracy of eyewitness testimonies in court cases. This project is by students from Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co Cork

Meanwhile the Irish Independent says the impact of major news stories of 2009 is clearly evident in some of the entries, such as:

• An investigation into the causes of bridge collapses, in the wake of the dramatic collapse of the railway line over the Malahide Estuary in Dublin
• “PanSphere”, by a student from Meánscoil na mBráithre Criostaí, in Kilkenny – his virtual supercomputer simulates the course of a pandemic such as swine flu through the community

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2010 will take place in the Main Hall, RDS, Dublin, from 12 to 16 January. For more information visit www.btyoungscientist.com

The highlights on our “Discover Sport” stand, in the World of Science & Technology Industries Hall, include a F1 Ferrari car. Learn about the science and engineering that goes into Formula 1 racing, and see how a wind tunnel simulates the aerodynamic air flow around model designs such as those for racing cars.

Athletics and cycling

You can also see how athletes are put through their paces by staff from Dublin City University’s School of Health and Human Performance.

Researchers will also explain how cyclists in a recent race around Ireland wore sensor equipment in their clothing for performance analysis.

Adidas will have a display on the history of the development of running shoes.

You can undergo a gait analysis, to work out which type of runners would suit you best.

Games and sensors

T4 – the support service for technology subjects at Leaving Certificate – will also be on hand to show how the SolidWorks 3D CAD (computer-aided design) program is used to design and develop running shoes and other sports equipment.

The CLARITY research group will explain how sensors are used in everyday items, and you can find out about “exergaming” and “exerlearning”.

New exergaming systems such as Wobbleball use motion tracking devices and capture large body movements to control on-screen games. The sensor technology is similar to the systems used in the Nintendo Wii.

CLARITY has also developed the Dancemat exerlearning system, which contains embedded sensors usually used in Xbox games. You need to jump to various spaces on the Dancemat to spell or to add.

Careers and workshops

Among the many other activities, Discover Primary Science staff will demonstrate the DPS activity pack, and Steps to Engineering will have information and advice about careers in science and engineering, as well as details of programmes on offer.

On the balcony of the main hall at the RDS we will be running science workshops and seminars about nutrition, hydration and fitness for sport. Watch out too for the K’NEX Challenge workshop.

DSE is also sponsoring the “Bend It Like Beckham” show, which will take place in the BT arena each day throughout the show.

Learn more

Visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition’s website

Read some figures at a glance for the 2010 BT Young Scientist Exhibition

Find out what happened to the Young Scientist winners from the past decade

Learn about the RDS Primary Science Fair at the 2010 show

As well as the 500 student projects on display, there are a further four exhibition halls filled with science and technology based exhibits and entertainment, making it a thrilling event for those who enter and for general visitors too.

For the exhibition Discover Science & Engineering brings the science of sport to its stand. Visit DSE in the World of Science & Technology to find out about the science behind Formula 1, watch athletes being put through their paces on fitness equipment and learn how sensors are used in everyday items.

Learn more

Visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition website for details about tickets

Read more about the Discover Science & Engineering stand at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition in January 2010

Discover Science & Engineering's "Energy House" at the 2009 show

Here are the figures at a glance:

• 1,588 projects have been entered, from 329 schools throughout the country
• 520 projects will take part in the final, an increase of 20 places on last year
• More girls are taking part – 57% of entrants are female and 43% are male
• Four in five entries are by groups, with the rest by individuals
• The most popular category is “Social and Behavioural Sciences” with 553 entries
• Other categories are “Biological and Ecological Sciences” (534 entries), “Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences” (303) and “Technology” (198)
• The competition has also increased in popularity among Northern Ireland students, with a 66% jump in entries received from schools across all six counties

The event, now in its 46th year, is open to all students aged between 12-18 years across the island of Ireland.

The show will also feature a new programme in which 40 students will be selected and mentored by business executives on how to commercialise their innovations and inventions.

The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition aims to foster interest in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects among students at an early age.

The 2010 show will take place in the Main Hall of the RDS in Dublin from 12 to 16 January 2010.  Doors will be open to the public from Thursday 14 January.

Learn more

Read about the business mentoring programme for students

Visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition’s website

Find out what happened to the Young Scientist winners from the past decade

Learn about the RDS Primary Science Fair for primary schools at the 2010 show

We catch up with the winners from the past 10 years, and find out what they did next…

2009 winners: John D. O’Callaghan and Liam McCarthy

School: Kinsale Community School, Co Cork
Project: “The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and its Importance in Milk Production”

2009 winners John D. O'Callaghan and Liam McCarthy

John and Liam are both from farming backgrounds, and their project involved developing a cheap and efficient way for farmers to detect infection in milk cows.

Their invention was widely featured in the media, and the next step is to commercialise their test.

The pair also went on to win first prize at the EU Young Scientist contest in Paris.

“For work experience in Transition Year, I’d like to go to a science laboratory, perhaps at UCC or maybe the Dairygold laboratory in Mallow,” says John D.

“I think I’d like a career in science or agricultural science. It’s what I’ve grown up with, it’s a part of my life.”

Liam is also considering a career in agricultural science.

2008 winner: Emer Jones

School: Presentation School, Tralee, Co Kerry
Project: “Research and Development of Emergency Sandbag Shelters”

Emer’s project examined the use of native materials to enhance the stability of emergency sandbag shelters used in disaster relief. She went on to win second place in the engineering category at the EU Young Scientist contest later that year.

Her home town acknowledged her achievements by making her the grand marshal at the 2008 St Patrick’s Day Parade in Tralee.

2007 winner: Abdusalam Abubakar

School: CBS Synge Street, Dublin 8
Project: “An Extension of Wiener’s Attack on RSA”

Abdusalam mastered enormously complex mathematics which limit the security of encrypted digital and internet messages.

“Our team invented two new algebras that extended the work of the greatest of all Irish mathematicians, William Rowan Hamilton,” he says.

Abdusalam was invited to speak at mathematics conferences, and went on to represent Ireland and win first place in the EU Young Scientist contest.

2006 winner: Aisling Judge

School: Kinsale Community School, Co. Cork
Project: “The development and evaluation of a biological food spoilage indicator”

We all know that food spoils easily if it is stored at the wrong temperature. Aisling was the youngest ever winner in the exhibition’s history, with her food spoilage indicator kit for consumers.

“Winning the competition has opened so many doors for me,” Aisling says. “I have met so many people and have gotten the opportunity to do so many great things like launching Science Week and talking to primary school students about the importance of science.

“At the moment I am concentrating on getting through my Leaving Cert and choosing the course I want to study next year.”

2005 winner: Patrick Collison

School: Castletroy College, Limerick
Project: “Croma: a new dialect of Lisp”

Patrick Collison’s project involved creating a new programming language for making web pages.

Patrick went on to take second place at the EU Young Scientist contest in Moscow. Then when he was only 19, he and his brother John sold their software company for €3 million.

2004 winner: Ronan Larkin

School: Synge Street CBS, Dublin
Project: “Generalised Continued Fractions”

Ronan developed new techniques for solving difficult mathematical equations. He then represented Ireland in the EU Young Scientist contest, and visited MIT in Boston as part of the Young Scientist prize.

“Then I sat that dreaded thing called the Leaving Cert (it’s not that bad).” Since then Ronan has successfully completed a degree in mechanical engineering at UCD.

2003 winner: Adnan Osmani

School: St Finian’s College, Mulllingar, Co Westmeath
Project: “The graphical technological and user-friendly advancement of the Internet browser: XWebs”

Adnan developed a new networking socket and web browser that enabled faster Internet access, even on ordinary modems and without compressing data.

His project was extensively covered in the international media, from the Wall Street Journal to CNN and the BBC.

Adnan now has a BSc in Applied Computing and Software Engineering, and an MSc in Computer Science and Research.

2002 winner: David Michael O’Doherty

School: Gonzaga College, Dublin
Project: “The Distribution of the Primes and the Underlying Order to Chaos”

David’s prize was for research into the second Hardy-Littlewood conjecture, an unsolved problem in number theory which concerns the number of primes in intervals.

David went on to study mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

2001 winners: Peter Taylor, Shane Browne and Michael O’Toole

School: St Killian’s Community School, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Project: “Investigating symmetrical shapes formed by polygons”

The team solved a problem in geometry about how regular polygons can be arranged into circular patterns of optimum symmetry. They also took third place at the EU Young Scientist contest.

2000 winner: Thomas Gernon

School: Coláiste Rís, Dundalk, Co Louth
Project: “The Geography and Mathematics of Europe’s Urban Centres”

This was the first time that a Social and Behavioural Sciences project won the top award. Thomas went on to win the prestigious Alumni Prize at the EU Young Scientist contest, and two local councils honoured him in a joint civic reception.

Thomas studied geology at UCD, and his research on volcanic eruptions has taken him from diamond mines in Botswana and Arctic Canada, to active volcanoes in Iceland, Italy, Greece and Far Eastern Siberia.

Dr Gernon (he completed a PhD at the University of Bristol) now lectures in geology at TCD.

Learn more

Visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition’s website

Patrick Collison has described his experiences on his fantastic journey from BT Young Scientist to software millionaire in a guest lecture for Science Week 2008. View the video.

Read more stories from the Past Winners Blog