Three Bower projects reached the final of this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which took place from January 12th-14th. The virtual event saw the teams set up their impressive displays in school, ready for their online interviews with the judges. On the final day the online awards ceremony was watched by the finalists and classmates as the winners were announced.
2nd Year Tanvi Sirigineed reached the final in the Individual Technology category with her project “sCan You Recycle”. Tanvi was inspired to complete this project as she was aware of many students being unsure of the correct bins to use when disposing of their waste in school. She began by surveying her year group and was confident that improvements could be made. She worked with the school canteen and Green Schools committee when planning her approach. She used her coding skills to develop an app and barcode system that students could easily use. A second survey showed that knowledge and understanding had improved and the guesswork had been removed from the process.
TYs Ciara Fallon, Amy McGovern and Martha McSharry reached the final in the Group Technology category with
their project “I’ll Play It My Way”. The girls were aware of the standard settings commonly used in sensory rooms and set about constructing a device in order to individualise stimulation for the wearer. Programmed using micro:bit and Python, the device measures heart rate, steps and movement and can create calming or stimulating settings as and when needed. They had three interviews with the judges and really enjoyed explaining the inspiration behind their project and the steps taken to bring their idea to reality. They received a Highly Commended Award for their research.
6th Year Clare Reidy presented her project “Cosmic Radiation Protection Simulation” in the Individual Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences category. This project saw Clare investigate effective building materials for future exploration of Mars and whether bricks made from Martian soil – known as regolith – could be used to block cosmic radiation. She discovered these bricks could offer effective protection and she built an optimum brick using Martian regolith simulant as a primary component. A great cheer went up from classmates as Clare was announced in 3rd place in her category.
Our Lady’s Bower congratulates each of our finalists and their teachers. We are proud of their focused dedication and hard work. Well done, girls.