BT Young Scientist Exhibition: Ireland’s future

It has become something of a cliché to say that Ireland’s greatest natural resource is its young people.

It is, nonetheless, true, as the 51st BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, which opened yesterday, shows.

Since 1965, the tens of thousands of young people who have taken part have done themselves and their country proud.

This is the 15th year in which the competition has been sponsored by BT Ireland and they deserve recognition for their continued involvement.

While we applaud the achievements of the students, the role of mentors and teachers should not be forgotten.

One of the most outstanding was Jim Cooke, who taught science at Synge Street CBS in Dublin for almost 40 years.

He achieved acclaim for his mentoring of students through the competition, among them two overall Young Scientist winners and a winner of the EU Contest for Young Scientists in 2007.

With students and teachers like that, Ireland’s future as a hub for scientific inquiry is assured.