BT Young Scientist celebrates 50 years

Chivalry is not dead. The Taoiseach proved as much when he rushed to the aid of a damsel in distress while launching the 50th anniversary celebrations for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

The sun shone down on the tranquil Iveagh Gardens in Dublin, as Mr Kenny autographed an over-sized birthday card and chatted affably with Eibhlin McCarthy and Katie Phelan, both 13 and from Loreto College, Balbriggan who will be exhibiting at the event next January.

Then came time for the release of 550 balloons, representing the number of young scientist projects that will be on show at the RDS. A giant net was opened and the balloons took off as the shutters clicked, but then Sarah from Irish Balloons got caught up in the collapsing net.

Without hesitation the Taoiseach rushed to her aid, helping Sarah to escape the net and then assisting her in winkling out a few trapped balloons. Having saved the day he hurried away to his next engagement that morning in west Dublin.

An estimated 65,000 students have entered more than 31,000 projects since the exhibition began in 1964, said main sponsor BT Ireland’s chief executive officer Colm O’Neill. The fact that it has run annually for all those years was remarkable but even more so given the enthusiasm and interest shown year after year by the students who take part, he said.

BT is the main sponsor and organiser of the event and announced yesterday that it was continuing this commitment at least until 2016. The company spends about €2 million a year to stage the event, but there are also hidden costs including the 150 BT volunteer staff who take work as “red coats” during the exhibition.

Co-founder Dr Tony Scott was on hand to help launch the 50th celebrations, and recollected how he and Fr Tom Burke got the event going. “I am in awe of it,” he said of the exhibition. “It exceeded our wildest dreams, if we even had a dream in the beginning. The success is down to all the young people who take part and long may it continue.”

BT has put together an archive stretching back all the way to 1964. It is calling on past entrants, teachers and judges to reconnect with the exhibition and send in birthday greetings and memories that can be added to the archive.

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