The BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition has grown in popularity in recent years and the 52nd competition is no different, with over 4,449 students registering to take part in this year’s event. This represents a 3.6% increase on last year. Irish Country Living set off to the RDS to meet this year’s crop of young scientists.

Biological and Ecological

An Investigation into the effects of enzymes used in animal feed additives on the lifespan of caenorhabditis elegans.

TY students Maria Louise Fufezan (15) and Diane Bura (16) from Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co Dublin, were victorious last week when they took home the coveted BT Young Scientist of the Year award for their investigation into the relationship between enzymes used in feed additives on the lifespan of earthworms.

Speaking about the winning entry, category judge professor Grace McCormack commented: “These students have asked a novel question – could there be any effects from enzymes added to animal feed on worms and the importance of soil fertility? The girls provide new evidence that there may be an unexpected detrimental change in behaviour and lifespan of these essential worms. The work is important for the environment and the food industry and will undoubtedly lead to further research in this important area.”

The girls were presented with a cheque for €5,000 and will represent Ireland at the 28th European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Brussels later this year.

Biological and Ecological

To investigate if the addition of micro algae to the diet of dairy cattle will increase or decrease the omega-3 content in their milk.

Are you getting enough omega-3 in your diet? TY students Rebecca O’Keefe and Lisa Aylward of Colaíste Choilm, Co Cork, examined the effects of adding micro algae rich in omega-3 into the food ration of dairy cows and if it subsequently increased the omega-3 content in their milk.

“It is widely recognised that Irish people are lacking in omega-3. So, we wanted to make a product rich in omega-3,” explains Lisa. “We introduced micro algae, which was in powdered form, into the diet of dairy cows to see if this increased the omega-3 in their milk.”

“Our results showed that the omega-3 content in milk improved, which is beneficial to humans as we drink the milk,” concludes Rebecca.

Biological and Ecological

An investigation into the level and cause of the liver condemnation

in Co Roscommon

Roscommon CBS students Danny Mahon, Mark Gleeson and Shane White carried out an experiment to determine the instances of liver fluke in sheep in Co Roscommon. Inspired by an article in the Irish Farmers Journal, the boys carried out the tests in October and November 2015.

“We were interested to find out how many animals in the county were impacted by liver fluke.

“After advice from our local vet, we decided to concentrate on sheep. We visited a local abattoir over a period of four weeks and examined the individual livers of all the sheep,” says Mark.

Their results were interesting. Mark explains: “We found that 11% of sheep had liver fluke present. We also contacted another abattoir in the area and their results were very similar.”

Technology

To design and manufacture a device that allows wireless interaction

between car and trailer lights

Ever wonder what attaching a trailer to a car would be like without wires hanging out everywhere? Well, TY students Ciara Coyle and Kalin Foy from Colaíste Chiaráin, Co Limerick, have come up with a clever new way of connecting car and trailer lights without wires.

“We got the idea from farmers who were complaining about hooking up wires from cars to trailers,” said Ciara.

The project, which the girls started developing back in September, is cleverly run.

“We use a micro-controller to send wireless signals from the car to the trailer,” says Kalin.

They aim to improve the product over the next few months and make it more efficient.

Technology

To develop a scraper/washer for

cleaning cattle sheds with ease

TY students Conor McEneaney, Sami Miled and Jason Clarke from Bush Post-Primary School, Co Louth, are aiming to ease the workload of farmers by developing a multi-tasking scraper that scrapes, washes and disinfects shed floors all in one.

Conor, who came up with the initial concept, explained more: “It used to take me a long time to do the different phases of cleaning, so I came up with a new idea to do all the cleaning steps in one.”

The boys are hoping to upgrade the product in the future and introduce it to the market.

Biological and Ecological

Edible and environmentally

friendly bale netting

Is there anything more annoying than removing bale netting from silage on a cold winter’s day? Well, fifth-year students Órla Daly, Marrion Quaid and David Carroll from Coláiste Iósaef, Co Limerick, have devised a genius prototype that could eradicate this problem.

“We noticed one of the most time-consuming things on a farm is removing netting from silage bales, so we started a project in TY to develop edible bale netting,” Órla says.

David and Marrion explained: “The prototype is made from potato starch, hydrochloric acid, glycerine, sodium hydroxide and water. If it is not eaten, the netting biodegrades within 14 days.”

Considering the hassle bale netting can cause for farmers, this project could make farmers’ lives a lot easier. CL