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Lucky for some as 13 northern schools make BT Young Scientist final

Students Ben Halligam and Jamie Martin from Fort Hill College in Lisburn are among those who have qualified as finalists of the 2018 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Photo: William Cherry/Press Eye.com
Students Ben Halligam and Jamie Martin from Fort Hill College in Lisburn are among those who have qualified as finalists of the 2018 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Photo: William Cherry/Press Eye.com Students Ben Halligam and Jamie Martin from Fort Hill College in Lisburn are among those who have qualified as finalists of the 2018 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Photo: William Cherry/Press Eye.com

TWENTY-one projects from 13 schools in Northern Ireland have been short-listed for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition taking place in Dublin in January.

This is the 54th running of the world renowned event, and for the first time the overall winner will represent Ireland in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists when it comes to Dublin in September.

The 41 students from Northern Ireland have worked tirelessly to come up with a wide range of innovative projects - from an investigation into the effect of different coloured LEDs on the growth of plants, to a study which analyses if hamster wheels can be used to create a new source of renewable energy.

They will showcase their innovative projects at the exhibition - one of the largest and longest-running events of its kind in the world - from January 10-13 at the RDS.

In addition to promoting STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths), the exhibition challenges students to imagine a big idea and bring it to life through research and development in a practical way – away from the classroom.

Garret Kavanagh, BT's acting managing director of NI Networks, said: “We know how important it is to foster student’s interest in STEM subjects in every school in Northern Ireland to ensure that we have the necessary skills to move forward as a society.

“We want to inspire a future workforce of science and technology innovators. This is why we are so proud of our continued involvement with BTYSTE.

“The huge range of projects and student interests show how science and technology have a part to play in every aspect of our lives. Once again, the standard of entries has been extremely high, making the judges’ job more difficult than ever.

"Over the coming weeks, the finalists will be working hard to complete and present their projects and we can’t wait to see their extraordinary achievements on show in January.”

For more information on the exhibition click on www.btyoungscientist.com