Earlier this year I was lucky enough to attend the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition with my colleague Alan McGlinn at the RDS in Dublin. If you’re in Dublin in January, I thoroughly recommend a visit. The event is vast, and I was humbled by the level of expertise, skill and passion the young people have for their projects.
“The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in Ireland. With close to 50,000 attendees, it is an all-encompassing celebration of science and technology under one roof.”
Maria, Laura and Tara with their teacher Ms Higgins. Transition Year (TY) Students from Our Lady’s Secondary School (OLSS) in Castleblayney.
One project stood out for both Alan and me: Absenteeism as a Result of Type 1 Diabetes. The aim of this project was to investigate absenteeism from school, college or the workplace due to Type 1 diabetes. It focused on three main areas:
- The main causes of absenteeism for people with Type 1 diabetes.
- What impact these absences have on people with Type 1 diabetes.
- What can be done to reduce the rate of absenteeism and alleviate the problems associated with it.
Both Alan and I have close family members with Type 1 diabetes, so a project working to understand and improve the lives of individuals with this condition was something we wanted to help with. The project received the highly commended award in its category at the exhibition.
Extraordinary Young People Click To Tweet