President Michael D. Higgins will officially open the 60th BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) today (Wednesday, January 10) at 2:00p.m in the RDS, Co. Dublin.
Thousands of students will travel to the RDS this week to participate in the 2024 exhibition, which is open to the public from tomorrow through to Saturday, from 9:30a.m until 5:30 p.m.
The president will speak following an exclusive Executive Leaders Forum for business leaders, which will focus on one of the most urgent topics facing the planet.
The topics up for discussion include sustainability and how decisions are made such as recent world leader conferences, including how COP28 can influence sustainable business strategies.
Speaking ahead of the exhibition, the president said:
“Yes it is a challenging time, but it is so potentially fulfilling to know that the choices you make will have effects that are important, not just for your own time, but for the very possibility of life itself.
“It is my hope that the experience of the young scientist will further drive the interest and determination of all those participating to continue to play a role in science, its application, and to deliver their energy to where it is most necessary.”
The ceremony will be streamed live on the BTYSTE website and on Facebook.
BT Young Scientist
From tomorrow, projects from 219 schools will be on display, spanning the four exhibition categories, which include: Technology; Biological and ecological sciences; Social and behavioural sciences; and chemical, physical and mathematical sciences.
Health and wellbeing is a fifth category to be introduced for the first time this year.
Over 50 out of the 2,042 project entries will focus on agriculture or biodiversity.
These include projects such as: Investigating the water filtering capabilities of plants; and whether multispecies swards are the future for sustainable farming.
A judging panel of 85 experts will have the task of choosing over 200 prize winners, including the overall BT Young Scientist and Technologist(s) of the Year, awarded €7,500.
The overall winner(s) will be announced at an awards ceremony on Friday, January 12 at 5:30pm.
The winner will once again represent Ireland at the EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which will take place this year in the European City of Science 2024 – Katowice, Poland.