Kerry sisters Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy announced as winners of the 61st BT Young Scientist exhibition
Ciara, age 17 in 5th year, Saoirse, age 15 in 3rd year, and Laoise, age 12 in 1st year, received the top spot for their project ACT (Aid Care Treat): App-timising emergency response
The winners of the 61st BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition have been announced.
Sisters Ciara Murphy age 17, Saoirse Murphy age 15, and Laoise Murphy age 12 in 5th, 3rd and 1st year respectively, from Presentation Secondary School Tralee in Kerry have won the top prize with their project, ACT (Aid Care Treat): App-timising emergency response.
The BTYSTE perpetual trophy was presented to the winners this evening at the RDS in Dublin by Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD and Managing Director of BT Ireland, Shay Walsh.
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ACT is a medical assistance app designed to support emergency healthcare responses. It integrates crucial features to provide swift and effective aid during critical situations. This is the second year this project has been recognised at the exhibition, having previously been awarded Runner-Up Group in 2024.
Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise have spent the last 12 months working on their project along with public and private sector stakeholders.
The transformative app is designed to tackle challenges in transferring medical data effectively and efficiently to the emergency services. The app also has the capability to share precise geolocation co-ordinates. Once the data reaches the emergency services, there is the possibility for onward transmission to the dispatch control centres, the attending mobile units, and the hospitals in a matter of seconds.
During the project, Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise built a working relationship with the Department of Health, the HSE and the National Ambulance Service, together with the Gardaí, to maximise the potential of the app.
In addition to receiving the top prize of €7,500, Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise will represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) this year in Riga, Latvia. Also, this year for the first time, Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise, as the overall BTYSTE winners, together with the Best Individual winner, will be awarded a trip to the World Expo, in Osaka, Japan.
Tomás Markey, aged 18 and in 6th year in St. Brogan's College, Bandon in Cork, won the prize for Best Individual, with his project, PM-DAC: A system for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. PM-DAC is a Passive & Modular Direct Air Capture framework that reduces the cost of carbon dioxide sequestration in the fight against climate change.
Luke Blackwell, aged 16 and in 4th year in CBS Thurles in Tipperary, won the prize for Individual Runner-Up with his project, a novel approach to regenerative agriculture through the use of comfrey as a sustainable soil enhancer. As part of his project, Luke undertook a comprehensive investigation into the use of comfrey, a sustainable biological soil enhancer, as an alternative to artificial fertilisers in agriculture.
Aoife Fadian and Jessica O’Connor, both in 4th year and aged 15 and 16 respectively, from Ursuline College in Sligo, won the prize for Runner-Up Group, with their project, ‘Sheep Strength’: Using wool to reinforce concrete. Their project involved testing the feasibility of mixing sheep wool with concrete as a more sustainable strengthening agent instead of polypropylene.
The exhibition continues tomorrow, 11 January, and tickets are available through the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition website or onsite at the RDS in Dublin.
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