Students from St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow are celebrating a year of outstanding achievement at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2026, winning 11 awards across 10 projects involving 21 students.
The award-winning projects reflected an impressive range of research and innovation, with students exploring themes including climate change mitigation, sustainable agriculture, air quality, forever chemicals in water, school wellbeing, technology for river health and safety, and social and behavioural research. These results reflect sustained quality research and a strong culture of curiosity embedded throughout the school.
Among the standout successes were two group projects that won both their category and special awards. In the Junior Group Biological & Ecological Sciences, Méabh Dorgan, Katie Fitzgerald and Muireann Murphy won for their project ‘An Investigation into Soil Organic Matter in North Cork Using UAV RGB Imagery: Supporting the ‘4 per 1000’ Initiative & Climate Change Mitigation’.
In the Intermediate Group Biological and Ecological Sciences, Alvy Fitzgerald, Anna Duggan and Leah O’Sullivan also claimed a category win and a special award for their study on sustainable fertiliser and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in barley crops ‘An Investigation into the Effects of various NFB and N-Fertilizer Amendments on the Growth of Barley Plants: A Route towards a more Sustainable Agriculture’.
In the technology category, Holly Fitzgerald, Alison Kerrisk and Maeve O’Reilly won Junior Group Technology and a special award for their solar-powered SMART buoy, designed to monitor river health, while Layla O’Connor, Delilah Afriyie and Doireann Dempsey impressed judges with their AQUA-D underwater rescue goggles project in Intermediate Technology.
Several students were recognised for outstanding individual research. Rea Vinovrski won both the Junior Individual Health & Wellbeing category and a special award for her research into noise levels in Irish schools and their impact on learning and emotional health. Jade Hosford placed second in Junior Individual Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences for her investigation into forever chemicals in North Cork water sources, while Katie Mae O’Neill received Highly Commended in the Senior Individual category for her astrophysics research on exoplanets.
In the Senior Group Social & Behavioural Sciences, Aoife Cregg, Niamh O’Sullivan and Clodagh Parkin took first place for their project on social media and identity, while Aimee Renton represented the school in Senior Individual Social & Behavioural Sciences with her research into financial behaviour and gender ‘Financial Rationalisations, Gender, and Risk: Understanding the “Girl Maths” Phenomenon’.
Principal Dr Andrea Murphy said the results reflect the strength of the teaching, mentoring and culture at the school: “What makes this achievement so special is not just the number of awards, but the consistency of high-quality work across all year groups. From Junior Cycle right through to Senior Cycle, our students are engaging with real-world problems, asking meaningful questions and producing research of an exceptionally high standard. That speaks volumes about their commitment, their creativity and the learning culture we have here in St Mary’s.”
She also paid tribute to the teachers who mentored the projects. “These projects do not happen in isolation. Our teachers give generously of their time, expertise and encouragement, guiding students through everything from shaping research questions to presenting their findings with confidence. It is a true partnership between students and mentors. Our sincere thanks to Mr Coote, Mr Timmons and Ms Russell for their outstanding support and dedication.”
St. Mary’s extends sincere congratulations to all students involved, and thanks the teachers, mentors and families who supported the projects throughout the journey.