merrion street

Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D. today (Thursday) visited the BT Young Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition at the RDS. Now in its 48th year, it is the longest running science exhibition in the world. This year’s exhibition is larger than ever having received over 1,743 entries from over 3,800 students.

During his visit Minister Sherlock took the opportunity to discuss the projects of students from a number of Cork schools in the Minister’s constituency, as well as the Patents Office and Science Foundation Ireland stands. The Minister also visited Covidien and EMC’s exhibitions among others.

Minister Sherlock said: "The high quality of the projects on display here today demonstrates the interest that our young students take in science and technology. The time and effort put into developing these exhibits is clearly evident and this is a credit to the students, teachers, parents and schools.

"I am very encouraged by the scientific aptitude, talent and imagination demonstrated by the students. With the growth of the Irish economy becoming increasingly dependent on the scientific and technological skills of its workforce, the quality of the exhibits here augurs very well for Ireland’s future and the growth of businesses that will create the jobs of the future.

"I am confident that many of the students here today will find that their participation in this exhibition will bring them a step closer to recognising the career opportunities available in the scientific and technological fields," the Minister continued.

"The presence of multinational companies such as EMC and Covidien is also good to see as companies of this calibre may well provide the employment for future science graduates," the Minister concluded.