St. Mary’s students chosen for Young Scientist Exhibition

St Mary's students Caoimhe Cronin and Shauna Murphy working on their project for the Young Scientist Exhibition.

St Mary’s students Caoimhe Cronin and Shauna Murphy working on their project for the Young Scientist Exhibition.

Three students from St. Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow, have qualified for the final of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2017. The Exhibition will take place in the RDS Dublin, 11th – 14th January. Shauna Murphy and Caoimhe Cronin are competing in the Intermediate Chemical, Physical and Mathematical category. The title of their project is ‘Uptake, Accumulation and Transfer of Alpha Radioactivity by Five Common Food Crops Growing in Selected Cork Soils, Some Amended with Phosphate Fertilizer; Implications for Human Health.’ Emily Murphy is competing in the Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Junior category. The title of her project is ‘Assessment and Evaluation of the Production and Combustion of Fuel Pellets Made from Waste Coffee Grounds; Impact on Waste Minimisation in Ireland’. Shauna, Caoimhe and Emily have dedicated significant time outside of school hours to their project work, even to the extent of working through the summer holiday. They have been ably supported by their mentors, Martin Timmons and Rory Coote.