Six secondary students from the Drogheda area were among the 1,100 students from 244 schools across the island who descended on the RDS yesterday to set up their projects for the 56th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.

In a rousing speech to a packed house of young scientists, An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar who opened the Exhibition, expressed his admiration at the calibre and creativity of this year’s projects.

The topical nature of students’ projects “suggests that change is coming”, he said, encouraging students “to keep innovating, to keep creating and to keep using your imagination to create a better world.”

Further inspirational messages were shared with the assembled audience from Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh. Much to the delight of the young scientists and technologists, world-renowned Professor Brian Cox took a tour of the exhibition to talk to students about their projects.

Among the hundreds of exhibits were three from students in Drogheda and one from East Meath.

St. Mary’s boys generating energy from rotten veg

Three second year students from St. Mary's Diocesan School; Tadhg Kearney, Rian Gray and Luke Dalton and their teacher Ms Caine were in the RDS yesterday putting up their project: "Rotten energy, can we make energy from rotting organic materials?" The lads are in the chemical physical and mathematical category and all of them are first time entrants.

Two projects from Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart Secondary School has two individual projects at the exhibition. Transition Year student Cliodhna Brady has carried out an evaluation of the results of isotope analysis conducted on human remains from Irish excavations to explore origins and dietary patterns while the project by her TY colleague Chloe Peter is a study of the effects of caffeine on cognitive performance, health and retaining information.

Gormanston student studies personality factors

Makua Ifediora, a student from Francsican College, Gormanston has a project in the exhibition project which relates personality factors such as school subject preference, to the nine fingerprint subtypes and the Big Five personalities in a sample group. His teacher is Pauline Murphy.

Longest-running science fair

BT Ireland MD, Shay Walsh congratulated all students on their participation in BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, in what is now the longest-running science fair of its kind, in not just Ireland but the world.

“This is the 20th consecutive year for the technology giant, BT, to organise and sponsor the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and BT Ireland confirmed today that it would be extending its agreement to sponsor this historic event until 2023.

“As organiser and sponsor, we have the honour of working with so many organisations and individuals dedicated to giving a platform to all young people to share their ideas on how to create a better world. This iconic exhibition has proven that the power of science and technology combined with the power of youth can change the world.”