Local school wins award at Young Scientist Expo

THE atmosphere at the BT Young Scientist of the Year Exhibition in the RDS, Dublin over the weekend was electric, with secondary school students from all over Ireland buzzing with bright ideas, hard facts and enthusiasm.

Students from two Carlow schools were lucky enough to qualify for Ireland’s most prestigious competition for post-primary schools, with teams from St Mary’s Academy CBS and St Leo’s College up there with the best of them. Students from Coláiste Lorcáin, Castledermot even scooped an award for their project, which looked at how speeding saves very little time but increases the chances of having a road-traffic accident.

Three second-year boys from CBS Carlow – TJ Keating, Craig Power and Evan Glynn – worked for months on their project on hearing loss, while two girls from St Leo’s College – Fatima Naeem and Naomi Picovici – looked at the effect that chemically-treated wood has on biodiversity and nature.

CBS students TJ, Craig and Evan took on an ambitious project to unravel the mystery of age-related hearing loss and its potential link to dementia. With the guidance of their teacher Tracey Mason, their project ‘The gradual decline of hearing with age’ explores how hearing often declines in people over the age of 50 and progresses gradually. What intrigued the students most was the growing body of evidence linking hearing loss to an increased risk of dementia.

“The teamwork and collaboration among the students have been inspiring to watch. They have engaged in peer feedback, sharing of resources and learning from each other’s strengths. These experiences are fostering critical thinking, problem-solving skills and a sense of camaraderie that goes beyond the classroom,” said CBS principal Fiona Lennon.

Fatima and Naomi from St Leo’s College showcased their project, ‘Which wood you rather: an investigation into the concealed effects chemically-treated wood have on biodiversity and nature’. Their innovative research highlighted environmental concerns and garnered significant attention.

Guided by teachers Kelley Comerford along with Mary Dunphy, as well as support from their English teacher Seán Woods, Fatima and Naomi worked strenuously on their project. School principal Niamh Broderick and deputy principal Emma Dwyer also supported them in qualifying for the young scientist exhibition.

Coláiste Lorcáin students Akhila Thelakattu, Claire O’Sullivan and Róisín O’Reilly scooped an award for the project ‘Educate to decelerate’. Their project aimed to raise public awareness about how insignificant the time saved by speeding really is. They found that driving 10kph over the speed limit on a 50kph road for 30km saves only six minutes but increases the risk of a traffic incident by 40%.

The trio were presented with the eFlow STAR (Sustainable Transport Award Recognition) by eFlow public information manager Róisín Barton-Murray.