Offaly students won Best Display Award in BT Young Scientist competition
St Brendan's students project was entitled “Paw Preference”
TWO students from St Brendan's Community School Birr have won a big award in the prestigious BT Young Scientist Competition.
On Friday evening it was announced that Lucy Crowley and Leah Smyth won the Best Display Award in the competition, which was held as usual in the RDS.
Lucy Crowley & Leah Smyth’s project was entitled “Paw Preference”.
Their aim was to investigate if pet dogs have a right/left paw preference or are ambidextrous and if this preference is linked with their personality.
Most people have a distinct hand preference. Humans use this hand, whether it be their left or right, for most daily tasks.
The girls researched similarities within dogs' and humans' anatomy and found a dog's paw is their equivalent to a hand. They created a series of four tests which were carried out on a sample of at least fifty dogs. The tests included; 1: the sit test, 2: the walk test, 3: the treat test, 4: the scratch test and a questionnaire to determine if paw preference is linked to a dog's personality including playfulness, fearlessness, aggressiveness and sociability.
The Principal of St Brendan's, John Kennedy, said that "All in St Brendan’s Community are incredibly proud of the two girls. This is an outstanding achievement for them, our Science Department and our entire school community. Well done to all."