Putting Young Scientists on the time table the key to our success
INCLUDING ‘ Young Scientists’ on the timetable has been the key to the ongoing success of Millstreet Community School in the BT Young Scientists Exhibiton.
And as he celebrated his pupils’ significant haul of prizes from this year’s event, school principal Pól Ó Síodhcháin said that support from external agencies and the local community council was vital also.
Mr Ó Síodhcháin was delighted with the awards won by the five teams entered from his school and was able to report that, already, a project which earned the Teagasc Award was being shared on the agricultural research agency’s website.
The study on the use of ‘ herbal leys’ grass rather than the rye grass was being promoted on the Teagasc website.
The project by transition year students Bevin Murphy,
Omar Daly and Darren Kiely, all of whom are from farming backgrounds found that feeding dairy cows with herbal ley grass, rather than rye grass, which is predominant in Ireland, would lead to savings of 28% in costs of producing a litre of milk and that the grass, being drought resistant and nitrogen absorbent, did better for farmers who used during the fine summer two years ago and didn’t need as much fertiliser as the more traditional grass.
Bevin, Omar and Darren also won second place in the Biological and Ecological Sciences group category.
A study about the awareness among young boys and men of testicular cancer by Harry Linehan, Darragh Cashman and Donagh Murphy, which won them a third place award in their category, has also attracted the attention of the Mercy Foundation in Cork. Recently,
Michael Sheridan from that body addressed a meeting of male students and teachers at the school about this disease which affects many men.
In Boherbue Comprehensive School there were celebrations also as Fionn O’Hanlon’s study on how habitat influences Barn Owl breeding success and prey availability earned him the Rev. Dr. Tom Burke Bursary. His ability to speak about his project won him the award for Best Overall Communicator also.
A project focusing on the wellbeing of paramedics whose work to save the lives of others often puts themselves under stress and in peril of their own health earned a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate for TY students Katie McCann, Saoirse Ryan and Laura Treacy.
Meanwhile, Light Pollution was the focus of the investigation by Sophie McQuillan and Roisin Grant of St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow.