The bright minds of talented students from all across Kilkenny shone with gusto last week at the 60th annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Two local primary schools and seven local secondary schools qualified for the flagship event, fielding a total of twenty projects. It was an extra special exhibition for students Olivia Dunphy, Sophie McMahon and Orla Walsh from Presentation Secondary School who picked up a ‘Highly Commended’ award for their project ‘The Active Effect’. The project investigated the impact of exercise and movement on academic recall and performance. Picture: The Presentation Secondary School group who picked up a ‘Highly Commended’ award for their project ‘The Active Effect’ Also celebrating in this fantastic achievement were the teachers who assisted the students with their project - Ms Kenealy, Ms Greene and Ms Carey. The teachers told the Kilkenny People that they are ‘incredibly proud of the work the girls put into the competition and how they carried themselves’. and the girls described winning the rosette for a highly commended project as ‘the icing on the cake for the week’. SECONDARY SCHOOLSThe other secondary schools that represented Kilkenny at the event were Castlecomer Community School, Coláiste Pobail Osraí, Loreto Secondary School, Meánscoil na mBráithre Criostaí (CBS Kilkenny), Scoil Aireagail and St Kieran’s College.The project topics submitted by local secondary schools were incredibly varied and interesting. For example, a group from Castlecomer Community School examined the evolution of currency in the digital age whilst a group from St Kieran’s College investigated whether listening to different music genres had an impact on athletic performance.The impact and fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic also continued to make its presence felt in the projects this year, with one group from Scoil Aireagail in Ballyhale examining how the pandemic has affected the mental health of secondary school pupils aged 14-17. Some other
PICTURES: Kilkenny students shine bright at BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2024
