BT YOUNG SCIENTIST & TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION

SCIENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AWARD

STUDENT SCIENTISTSSTS ADDRESS ’S DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES THE SCIENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AWARD

GOT A GREAT IDEA? FANCY A FACT-FINDING VISIT TO AFRICA? YOU COULD BE OUR NEXT AWARD WINNER!

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ENTER This award is open to any entrant (individual or group) who has been accepted in the Intermediate or Senior sections of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, and whose project addresses an issue facing people living in the Global South.

Above: President Michael D Higgins with 2017 winners Jack Projects could include: O’Connor and Diarmuid Curtin at Áras an Uachtaráin • Biological and Ecological Sciences • Chemical Physical and Mathematical The “Science for Development Award” • Sciences is presented at the BT Young Scientists • Social and Behavioural Sciences Exhibition to a research project that addresses • Technology a challenge faced by communities in Africa.

Learn more about the competition: The award is organised annually by the education www.btyoungscientist.com unit of Irish development agency , www.selfhelpafrica.org/ie/education/ and is sponsored by .

Self Help Africa’s Development Education team The award provides the entrant with a travel bursary will run workshops for students and teachers who to fund the cost of one student and their teacher to might be interested in submitting suitable ‘Science travel on a fact nding ‘research’ visit to Africa. for Development’ projects in the 2018 BT Young Scientists Exhibition. Previous winning projects have included fuel- ef cient cooking stoves, solar-powered water We would also request those who are submitting puri cation devices, ergonomic seed planting projects for the award to forward an additional copy devices, research on traditional home-births and of their project to us. on the treatment of dairy produce.

SCIENCE FOR DEVELOPMENT AWARD WINNERS A 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 The inaugural A device to purify Tara McGrath Students from A fuel ef cient Daniel Nyhan, Sean winners from Moyne drinking water using from Presentation Muckross College, cooking stove White and Michael Community School, solar panels won School, Kilkenny, , won the developed by McCarthy from Co. Longford, won the 2007 award for won the 2008 award with their Richard O’Shea Clonakilty Community the award for their a group of students award with her fuel study on home from Scoil Mhuire School, won with their study on volunteering from St. Joseph’s ef cient pressure birth practices and Gan Smál, Blarney, garden vegetable and support for Secondary School cooking device. services in rural won the award in pack designed to help charity in Ireland. in Creggan, Derry. . 2010. improve family diets. WHAT TO ENTER

PROJECT CRITERIA WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES? The winning project of the ‘Science Self Help Africa works with some of the world’s for Development’ award should clearly poorest and most marginalised people. Amongst address a speci c issue in a Global the challenges people face in their daily lives are: South context and show a willingness to • Famine and food shortage learn more. • Limited access to water for drinking or irrigation purposes Topics that could be addressed include: • Limited seed stock to produce crops • Hunger eradication and food production • Poor soil fertility and land degradation • The environment (e.g. deforestation, clean water • Poor sanitation & sanitation, soil fertility, soil erosion, pollution) • Inadequate healthcare • Problems with transportation and • Climate change accessing markets • Appropriate and sustainable technologies • Threats posed by crop pests and disease • Health care, HIV/AIDS, TB eradication, etc • Absence of agricultural advice & support • Challenges cooking, preparing & storing food Projects should demonstrate a clear understanding • Limited access to credit (micro- nance) of a partnership approach to development, and demonstrate an understanding of the connections Those are the challenges. Why not respond to between the local (Ireland) and global context for some of these questions at this year’s BT Young tackling the chosen development issue. Scientists Exhibition?

Above: Emily Lecky and Zoe Chesire, West Africa, 2014. Right: 2016 winners giving a presentation in .

A 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Keane Nolan and Fergus Jayes, Ballyclare students Megan Duffy and Ruaidhri Jordan, Jack O’Connor and DJ Hanley from St Darragh O’Donovan Emily Lecky and Zoe McGirr from Ben Conlon and Diarmuid Curtin Mary’s Academy, and Ciaran Crowley Zoe Cheshire were Oakgrove College Mason Scallan from Desmond CBS, Carlow won from Clonakilty winners with their in Derry created from Salesian College won with for a project that Community School solar powered a seed harvesting College, Kildare: their ergonomically analysed milk, and scooped the award water sanitation kit for subsistence Preservation of designed portable the potential use of with their solar furnace. farmers in Africa. Water Supplies planter. natural preservatives. powered fridge. Using Hygroscopic Polymers SPEAKINGSPEAKING ABABOUTOUT TTHEHE CHCHALLENGESALLENGES

Above: Habibou Tiendrebeogo with her cooking stove at her home in Nomgana Village, , 2016. Right: Stephen Linga, Malela village, Northern , 2016.

Self Help Africa organises a fact nding • My school has no electricity, toilets or visit for students and teachers to Africa, running water each year. - Benjamin, (8 years)

• The only way I can afford to send my daughter During these visits participating students have had to school is by borrowing from a loan shark at the opportunity to meet with local people and ask 1,000% interest them about the issues affecting their lives. Below - Anna, are some of their answers: • I have excess pototoes once a year but • I have to walk two miles to collect 20 litres of nobody in my small rural village can afford to water, twice a day. It’s hard work collecting buy them

water, and takes a lot of my time - Mary, - Grace, (14 years) • When we store our main maize crop, a lot of it • I have to cut and carry firewood twice a week doesn’t last because it rots from 5 miles away - Amos , (30 years) - Betty, Zambia (12 years)

If you would like to develop BT Young Scientist CONTACT US: projects that address any of the challenges faced by www.selfhelpafrica.org/ie/education people in Africa, we can help.

01 6778880 • One of our team could visit your school and facilitate a workshop to look at the role that innovation could play in African development.

• We can provide curriculum materials to help with Dorothy Jacob dorothy.jacob @selfhelpafrica.org | 086 8654170 your research.

• We would be happy to answer any questions that you have about the competition, or talk through any project ideas you might be considering.