Students from Donegal took home a haul of nine awards from the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in Dublin.
Donegal students took prizes from the Special Awards, Highly Commended and Display Awards sections yesterday, as some of the county’s brightest young minds were rewarded for their hard work in putting together their projects and displays.
In the Special Awards section, Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair’s Rónán Ó Dochartaigh and St Columba’s Comprehensive School’s Klara Piechocka took home indiviudal awards for their projects.
Rónán won The CSO Award for his project, titled “An oibríonn dlí Benford le tacar Sonraí in Éirinn?”, which examined Benford’s Law in Ireland – while also claiming a Display Award.
Meanwhile Klara claimed The SSE Airtricity Award for her project, which examined the sustainable & renewable harvesting of Donegal seaweed using the advanced solar drying method for biodiesel production.
Her project was also Highly Commended, as well as four other Donegal projects.
Coláiste Ailigh students received two of these Highly Commended awards.
Fianna Ní Ghaotháin, Faith-Leigh Bomagh & Síofra Ní Chnáimhsí were Highly Commended for their project “Na hÉifeachtaí minicíochta fuaime ar fhás plandaí”, looking at the effect of sound frequency on plant growth.
Fellow Coláiste Ailigh students Siún Ní Dhomhnaill, Lorcán Ó Fearáil & Ella Homer were also Highly Commended for their “Alage bloom vs cobalt plume, éifeacht tiúchan cóbalt ar ráta fáis Mighty Spirulina” project which examined the effect of cobalt on algae growth.
Willow Doherty Falls, Hannah-Rose Sweeney & Katie Toner of St Columba’s College won a Highly Commended award in the Health & Wellbeing category for their project, which was “an analysis of makeup/skincare products that claim to contain SPF/UV protection.”
Loreto Secondary School’s Aislinn Devlin was also Highly Commended for her project, “Fluoride, Friend or Foe?”.
Also, Abbey Vocational School’s Isla Buchanan brought home a Display Award for her display project, titled “Menopause? How much do you know?”
