MATRIX is delighted that 59 students from across Northern Ireland have been selected to compete at the 50th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. This year, 31 projects from the North have qualified for the competition which takes place at the RDS in Dublin from 8 – 11 January 2014.
A total of 17 schools from across all six counties will represent Northern Ireland at the exhibition, which enables young people from across the island of Ireland to come together to showcase their innovative ideas and entrepreneurial flair on an international platform. In 49 years of the exhibition, there have been seven winners from Northern Ireland and two of the 17 schools who have qualified this year are previous overall winners.
The exhibition, organised by BT for the past 14 years, provides unique opportunities for young people and teachers and inspires students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Newly qualified schools such as Portora Royal School and Dean Brian Maguire College alongside seasoned entrants such as St Mary’s College, Derry~Londonderry will go head to head in an attempt to win one of the prestigious awards at the ceremony. Projects such as ‘Investigating the possible antibiotic effects of air fresheners’ and ‘Fridge Food Friend’ will be exhibited at the event in January.
Peter Morris, Director of Corporate Services, BT said, “Once again this year, the quality of the projects and the level of engagement by Northern Ireland’s secondary school students is fantastic. The number of qualified projects from Northern Ireland is testament to the sheer hard work, creativity, optimism and passion of the students and teachers involved in this year’s exhibition.
“The aim of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is to help cultivate and nurture the talent of local young scientists, and I’d encourage Northern Ireland’s schools, families and business leaders to visit in January and experience first-hand the extraordinary ideas, innovation and excitement about STEM amongst our young people.”
Over 120 awards will be presented at this year’s event, including the overall BT Young Scientist & Technologist of the Year. In addition, BT will offer over 30 participating students the opportunity to take part in the BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp, an intensive commercialisation skills programme.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is organised by BT, and is supported by a number of valued partners including the Department of Education Northern Ireland, University of Ulster and MATRIX. Over the course of the week, more than 250 BT employees will volunteer their time to help deliver the 2014 exhibition.
For more information on the exhibition, log onto www.btyoungscientist.com