Carrick-on-Suir school's projects impress at BT Young Scientist Exhibition in Dublin

Third Year student Eugene Chelyakh standing in front of his project “Crime Scene Glow” at the Young Scientist Exhibition in the RDS in Dublin. 

Two fascinating science projects devised and researched by Comeragh College students were exhibited at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS in Dublin last week.

The projects to assist visually impaired people and improve understanding of a chemical used in forensic science and criminology were among 550 entries to reach the national final of the secondary schools' science contest out of a total of 2,500 entries.

The creation of a device to help visually impaired people to navigate their surroundings with greater confidence, was the goal of Cesar De Las Cueva Dominguez and Gerard Hernando Giron with their project “Wave View: Helping People See Through Sound”.

The device made by the two Transition Year students from Spain, is worn on the head and uses echolocation technology, similar to bats, to alert the user to any obstacles in their path.

Cesar and Gerard, who are studying in Comeragh College to improve their English, created their prototype device using a 3D printer and an Arduino device programmed with their own code.

Cesar said they really enjoyed the experience of exhibiting their project in the Technology section of the Young Scientist Exhibition where it attracted significant attention from visitors. He and and Gerard plan to do further work on improving the device they have created.

The school’s second project in the exhibition “Crime Scene Glow” was the work of Third Year student Eugene Chelyakh from Ukraine.

The 15-year-old came to Ireland in April, 2022 with his mother Seda following the Russian invasion of his home country and now lives in Carrick-on-Suir.

His Young Scientist project that was entered in the Intermediate Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences category, was inspired by his keen interest in forensic science and criminology. He carried out experiments on the chemical Luminol that is used to find hidden traces of blood at crime scenes.

He tested how hot and cold temperatures affect the glowing properties of Luminol using real blood and fake blood and how bleach and smoke affect its glowing properties. Eugene said Luminol is expensive and also difficult to source. He thanked lab technician Aidan Sinnott of South East Technical University for helping him obtain some of the chemical.

The Junior Cert student’s research attracted a lot of attention from members of An Garda Síochána at the Young Scientist exhibition and he has been invited to contact Garda headquarters to discuss his project further.

Science teachers Maeve Kennedy, Fergal Barry and Andrea O’Donnell assisted and supported the three students with their Young Scientist projects.

Maeve said they were extremely proud of the students and how they represented Comeragh College at the Young Scientist Exhibition.

Comeragh College Principal Kevin Langton echoed this praise and paid tribute to the support the students received from the school’s staff and their parents.

“It's a great achievement for the students and their families,” he said.

“The Young Scientist Exhibition was a great opportunity for these students to get their work recognised on a national stage and see other students from all parts of the country and backgrounds. Hopefully it will inspire them to enter the contest again next year and pursue a career in science.”