North Cork school picks up Teagasc award for soil project

Students from St Mary’s Secondary School in Mallow achieved significant success at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition by winning the Teagasc special award.

Second year students Méabh Dorgan, Katie Fitzgerald, and Muireann Murphy impressed the judges with their project, which was an investigation into soil organic matter in North Cork.

The Mallow students used low-cost, unmanned aerial vehicles to collect red, green, and blue imagery to measure soil organic matter content. The objective was to provide an efficient, cost-effective way for farmers to measure soil organic matter and optimise fertiliser use, supporting global climate change mitigation efforts.

The Teagasc special award is presented annually to the project that best demonstrates a thorough understanding of the science of agricultural or food production, or the application of science to improve technologies in these sectors.

The students are next hoping to develop an app that would allow farmers to use a drone connected to their phone to identify where fertiliser is needed most efficiently.

The Teagasc special award was presented by Professor Frank O’Mara, director of Teagasc, who invited the students to visit a Teagasc research centre to learn more about work in this area.

“These students represent the next generation of scientific talent in Ireland,” said Professor O’Mara.

“Their ability to apply science and technology to an issue as important as soil health and climate change is impressive, and we look forward to seeing where their curiosity and ambition take them next.”

The Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which is one of Europe’s largest STEM events, took place from January 7-10.

Attracting an average of 40,000 students, teachers and parents each year, the event provides a platform for young scientists to showcase their work.