While Co. Limerick student Seán O’Sullivan won the overall prize at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) for his project based on verifying the use of ChatGPT, there were also many awards picked up for environmental and agricultural projects.
The best group prize and the Teagasc award was given to students from Loreto Secondary School Balbriggan, Co. Dublin for their investigation titled ‘Let’s Save the Common Ash!: A Continued Study’.
According to Teagasc, ash dieback is caused by the invasive fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which originates in Asia and was brought to Europe in the early 1990s.
Students Abigail O’Brien Murray, Erica O’Brien Murray and Olivia O’Shea are continuing to research the positive effects that Jasmonic and Salicylic acid have on H.fraxineus inhibition.
The best group award received a trophy and a cheque for €2,400.
BT Young Scientist awards
Another award was given by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to ‘Herbs for Hives’, an investigation by St. Leo’s College, Co. Carlow.
The investigation looks at how locally-sourced herbal treatments instead of commercial synthetic presticides combat Varroa mite infestation on Irish honey bees.
A Co. Longford entry by students Grace Cassells, Keira Hopkins and Lára Flood at Ballymahon Vocational School were awarded the ABP Farm Sustainability Award for their project on: ‘Are cow collars worth the hype?’.
The aim of the research is to see if cow collars benefit dairy farmers by reducing labour and improving cows’ health and well-being.
Seán Allen from Roscommon Community College won the Amgen Biological and Ecological, gold partner award for the project ‘Rooting for Sustainability: An Exploration of More Sustainable Grassland Nutrient Management for a Greener Future’.
The project is an analysis on how anaerobic digestate can be used on grassland areas compared to synthetic fertilisers.
The special award from Met Éireann was won by student Oisín Jackson from Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Co. Clare for their investigation into the relationship between precipitation and water levels in Turloughs in the Burren.