Tipperary Young Scientist winners take second place in European competition

Shane O'Connor and Liam Carew garnered special recognition from the EUCYS judging panel.

Two Tipperary students who took home the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) title in 2023, have secured second place at this year's EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) held in Brussels.

Former students of Abbey School in Co Tipperary, Shane O'Connor and Liam Carew garnered special recognition from the EUCYS judging panel for their winning BTYSTE project titled Assessing the impact of second-level education on key aspects of adolescents’ life and development. 

Their project involved surveying 2,000 students, aged 12 to 19, across Ireland to investigate the impact of their educational experiences on their social, physical, and mental well-being.

Shane and Liam impressed the EUCYS judges with the depth of their research, which revealed the significance of secondary school in shaping the social development of most students.

At EUCYS, O’Connor and Carew faced off against more than 130 young scientists, ranging in age from 14 to 20, representing 36 countries, including EU member states as well as the US, Canada, and South Korea.

“It was an honour to represent Ireland in Brussels and share our work with the international STEM community," said Shane.

"With the level of competition so high, we cannot believe our work has been recognised as one of Europe’s best today.” 

Shane O’Connor and Liam Carew, 2023 BT Young Scientist and Technology Winners, meeting Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD and Shay Walsh, managing director of BT Ireland, at Government Buildings, Dublin. Picture: Fennell Photography 2023

Liam Carew added: “It is fantastic to end EUCYS on such a high.

"We are heading straight into our first year at University College Cork on Monday, and we can safely say that the skills we have developed at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition and here at EUCYS have been crucial in preparing us for university life.” 

Mari Cahalane, Head of BTYSTE at BT Ireland, expressed her pride in Liam and Shane's accomplishments.

"Liam and Shane reflect the high calibre of young STEM talent across Ireland," she said.

Ms Cahalane also encouraged students to submit their entries for the 60th BTYSTE, scheduled for January 10 to 13, 2024, by Monday, October 2.

"Not only could they get a chance to showcase their projects at BTYSTE2024, but they could also represent Ireland in Europe at the EUCYS.”