Array of apps showcases North Galway talent at science expo

OVER 20 North Galway students will aim to showcase their technological and scientific research talents when they present their projects at this year’s BT Young Scientists Exhibition.
Four schools, from Athenry, Ballygar, Claregalway and Glenamaddy, will be represented at the four day event in the RDS that begins on Wednesday (January 11).
While Coláiste Bhaile Chláir is celebrating its fourth successive year of reaching the final stages of the competition, this is the first year Coláiste an Eachraidh, Athenry, will showcase its scientific talents on the national stage.
Ciara Ní Ghríofa has a personal interest in her project to develop an app to keep children with autism feel comfortable making eye contact with people.
The 17-year-old was diagnosed with high functioning ASD (autism spectrum disorder) three years ago, which she says gives her an insight into how children who struggle to make eye contact can be held back by the condition.
“I’m lucky because I am able to connect with people and hold eye contact, but a lot of young children with autism aren’t and that holds them back in later life when they go for job interviews,” she said.
“That just isn’t fair, so I set out to see if I could devise something that would help them overcome that difficulty. I started out working on it as part of a Youth Reach project at NUI Galway’s Child and Family Research Centre and since then I’ve been given funding from UNESCO to continue to develop the app.
“I was elected to the Digital Youth Council earlier this year where I met a developer who is helping me with the app. I’m going to test what I have come up with on a sample group of 70 children, aged between three and seven, half of whom have ASD with the other half being my control group.”

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OVER in Glenamaddy Community School, two second year students are representing their school at the RDS after a five-year absence.
Shannon McHugh and Ciara Keaveney have decided to focus their research on the undervalued nutrient that is common household ashes.
The girls came up with the idea after noticing ashes being dumped in hedging along country roads, and decided to investigate a possible way of reusing the substance.
Their teacher Deirdre Hardiman said they have put a lot of work into the project over the past year.
Shannon’s home has been turned into a greenhouse where they’ve grown onions, grass and cabbage in ash, as well as growing the same plants in soil without the ash to compare. Those grown in ash were much bigger and according to a taste test among their peers, the students found the ash-grown veg a lot tastier.
“It’s very simple science but they are burning different types of fire to determine all possible outcomes,” says Deirdre.

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A GROUP of 16 students will arrive in the RDS flying the flag for Coláiste Bhaile Chláir, Claregalway. The six groups of first, second and third year students have devised a selection of technological and lifestyle projects they are hoping to impress with.
Second year students Niamh King, Alannah Murphy and Lauren McMahon have developed an app that connects with sensors to enhance and improve daily living. A rain sensor will alert users by text that they should bring in laundry from outdoors, while a pet feeder allows animals to be fed remotely using a rotating device that tops up food and water bowls.
First years Emmet O’Shea, Finn Regan and Michael Moroney have devised a smart plug that allows users to have a greater understanding of their electricity consumption with a view to better controlling their bills.
Maeve Farragher, Katherine Corbett and Roisin Joyce have road safety in mind with their bike collision sensor. The second year students have created a sensor that will alert cyclists when they come within 1.5m of a vehicle. The sensor can also send a signal to a special app that detects if the sensor has become damaged and if necessary can alert the emergency services of the location of the cyclist.
Last year’s winning students Alaidh Fox and Deirdre Hughes are back with a further development of their mission to enhance supports to the visually impaired. This year they have created several devices to help the elderly and visually impaired to administer medication safely through an audio device that can read labels and a separate wristband containing a patient’s entire medical history.
Moving away from the technical side of things, second year students Katelyn McMahon, Adalina Feekry and Leah Cowap have surveyed their peers to see if a fixed mindset affects peoples’ ability in maths.
Supporting families of special needs children has been the focus of the school’s sixth and final project. Alyssa Laffey and Aoife Clarke have developed a sensory exercise app, Sensi, which aims to help develop both gross motor and bi motor skills in children. The girls believe it will aid children who don’t have access to regular physio and occupational therapy as it will simplify the process for parents by gathering all the information and exercises in app format.

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IN Coláiste Mhuire, Ballygar, Transition Year students Sarah O’Roarke and Lucia Daly are hoping to encourage their peers to adopt healthy lifestyles.
They have distributed a lifestyle survey among all students at the school to determine their consumption of fizzy drinks, alcohol, cigarettes and drugs. The anonymous questionnaire also sought information regarding weight, height, waistline measurement and the average amount of sleep each student gets.
The girls invited a nutritionist, GP, addiction counsellor and fitness instructor into the school for an information day, where they hoped to encourage healthier lifestyle choices, and to warn of the consequences if they don’t.

 

• All 21 North Galway students will head to Dublin this week for the exhibition, which runs from Wednesday, January 11 to Saturday, January 14 at the RDS.