Burke "blown away" by Westmeath entries at Young Scientist competition

Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke TD, said he was “blown away” by the 40 Westmeath projects on display at this year’s Stripe Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS.

With 40 projects, Westmeath ranked just behind Dublin and Cork in terms of overall participation.

The Minister spent two hours touring local projects at the exhibition yesterday, meeting students from eight Westmeath secondary schools, including Athlone Community College, Our Lady’s Bower, Moate Community School, St Joseph’s, Rochfortbridge, Mercy Secondary School, Kilbeggan, Loreto College Mullingar, Marist College and Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar.

Minister Burke said he was particularly proud to discover that Moate Community School was strongly represented, showcasing 10 projects, while his former school, Coláiste Mhuire Mullingar, had 18 projects on display, the highest number from any school in the country.

“I was delighted to attend the Stripe Young Scientist Exhibition in the RDS yesterday and was blown away by the standard of projects on display.

“Westmeath continues to punch above its weight in this competition, with 40 local projects on display throughout the RDS - the third highest of any county nationally - accounting for almost seven percent of all projects.

“These students have worked extremely hard on their projects over the last few months, and they presented them with great skill and enthusiasm. I want to thank all the local students for taking the time to meet me yesterday and talk me through their individual projects.

“I also want to thank the teachers involved for guiding and supporting students through what is a very exciting and formative experience," Minister Burke said.