Aine Shortall and Kate Whyte from Moate Community School in Co. Westmeath have been named as the winners of the Teagasc award at the 2023 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).
Their project looked at creating a solution to anthelmintic resistance in horses. The girls trialled a number of different herbs to reduce populations of parasites such as lungworm, redworm and liver fluke in horses.
They created a horse treat from slippery elm, fennel, thyme and mint, to act as a natural equine worm treatment and then gave one to horses each day for five days, measuring their faecal egg count over a two-week period.
They found that the combined treat, including all four herbs but with a greater quantity of mint, was the most effective treatment. It resulted in a decrease of 92% in faecal egg count.
The girls said that, as horse owners themselves, they were motivated to find a chemical-free alternative for treating equine parasites.
The Teagasc special award at BTYSTE aims to reward the project that best demonstrates a thorough understanding of the science of agricultural or food production, or the use of science to improve technologies available to agricultural or food production.
BTYSTE 2023
The BTYSTE 2O23 awards took place on Friday (January 13) at a ceremony in the RDS in Dublin.
Liam Carew and Shane O’Connor from the Abbey School in Co. Tipperary were announced as the overall winners of the competition.
Their project, ‘Assessing the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescents’ life and development’, earned them the perpetual trophy and the top prize of €7,500.
They will now go on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, which takes place in Brussels, Belgium in September 2023.
The boys will also attend the 64th Annual London International Youth Science Forum in the summer.
The prize was presented to the winners during the awards ceremony this evening by education minister Norma Foley, and the managing director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh.