BT Young Scientist event to be virtual again in 2022
Chloe Murphy, Megan Carroll, and Abby Mullins from Moate Community School in Co Westmeath, who were overall group winners for their project ‘Wool- Saviour of our Sea’ at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) 2021. They are pictured at Hodson Bay launching BTYSTE 2022. Picture: Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography 2021
The next generation of researchers, technologists and science boffins will again take part in an online version of the prestigious BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).
Organisers have confirmed that for the second consecutive year in a row, the event will be held virtually.
The exhibition, which is the largest of its type in Europe, will take place from January 12 -14, 2022.
Celebrating its 58th year, the BTYSTE showcases the "incredible ability of Irish students to create and test potential solutions that tackle everything from everyday problems to some of the biggest, global issues of our time," a spokesperson for the event said.
BT Ireland, the exhibition organiser, says they have waived project entry fees for participating students.
The students chosen to present their projects in the virtual exhibition hall will vie for some of the 200-plus prizes that will be up for grabs across four categories and age groups.
The overall top prize is a trophy, €7,500 prize money, and the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).
Speaking at the launch of BTYSTE 2022, BT Ireland Managing Director Shay Walsh said: “The BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition is a staple in the school calendar and is an exciting and fun way for young minds to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects.
"It’s very exciting to know that thousands of students across Ireland will be working on projects in the weeks and months ahead,” he added.
BTYSTE 2022 is open to second-level students aged between 12 and 19 years. For an individual or group to enter, they must submit a one-page proposal outlining their project idea.
Entries can be made in any one of four categories: technology; social and behavioural science; biological and ecological science; and chemical, physical and mathematical science. The deadline for submissions is Monday, September 27, 2021.
In 2021, a Cork student was crowned the overall winner of the competition.
Greg Tarr from Bandon Grammar School saw off tough competition with his computer program which is designed to detect 'deepfake' videos.
He took home the €7,500 top prize for his project 'Detecting state-of-the-art deepfakes'.
The project uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence software program that can efficiently detect DeepFake media with state-of-the-art accuracy.
The software, which is over 150,000 lines of code, made significant improvements on speed and efficiency when compared to the current best model without sacrificing its ability to accurately detect the fake.
