'Thrilled' Cork teens win top European science prize with study on gender balance in STEM subjects

Cormac Harris and Alan O’Sullivan, students at Coláiste Choilm in Ballincollig, were inspired to investigate by patterns they noticed in their own classroom

School principal Michelle Sliney celebrates with Cormac Harris, and Alan O'Sullivan, sixth-year students at Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Cork, after it was announced at a virtual ceremony that they were the European Union Competition for Young Scientists winners for 2020. Picture: Dan Linehan

Two students from Ovens in Cork, who were curious about why their female classmates were less likely to study STEM subjects, have taken home the top prize at a Europe-wide science contest for their research. 

Cormac Harris and Alan O’Sullivan, sixth-year students at Coláiste Choilm, Ballincollig, Cork, have taken home the top prize at the 32nd European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) for their work studying and combating gender bias.