Young scientists vie for top title
A landmine detection device is among innovative projects on display at this year’s Young Scientist exhibition in Dublin.
Originality and creativity are what the judges were looking for this week as they begin the difficult task of choosing who will be crowned Esat/BT Young Scientist of the Year.
More than 1,000 secondary level students from almost 500 schools throughout Ireland are vying for the title and the first prize of €3,000.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the competition making it the longest running educational exhibition in the world.
The 82 projects on display represent a diverse array of creative talent.
Vincent Grace’s prototype robot landmine locating system is hotly tipped to be one of the winners.
The 14-year-old’s project is so advanced he had to order every piece of equipment from the US, costing his parents more than €2,000.
Vincent, from John Scottus Secondary School, south Dublin, worked on the device at home every night after school.
“I was inspired to start looking into it when I saw a documentary called The Devil’s Garden on television last year,” he said.
“I though there has to be a better way to solve this problem than going through the ground with sticks.”
His robot is linked to a base station either using radio or infra-red.
“If the robot gets blown up the information will still be stored on the base station,” said Vincent.
His mother Ting Ting Grace, is a teacher at his school. She said she felt privileged to be able to help him and give him the opportunity to develop his ideas.
Vincent plans to study robotics in America and is already working on his next creation – a robot for guiding the blind.
A transmitter which fits into vehicles to warn drivers of the speed limit they are travelling through is another exhibit in the technology category.
“It’s a practical idea, it’s cheap and it could save lives,” said creator Darren Caprani, 16.
“There is so much emphasis on road safety at the moment and this can even be operated using solar power, helping the environment.”
The overall winner and the project chosen in the best individual or group category will go forward into the European Young Scientist Competition.
To mark the anniversary all 39 previous winners will be at the exhibition on Friday.
The exhibition will be formally opened by prime minister Bertie Ahern tonight.
It will be open to the public from tomorrow until Saturday at the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin.
