BT Young Scientist Exhibition:The annual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, the biggest yet in the 43-year history of the event, gets into full swing this morning at the RDS in Dublin.
More than 1,145 students aged from 12 to 18 have prepared 500 group and individual research projects in the pure, biological and social sciences. All hope to win an award or be named as the Young Scientist for 2007 and claim the first prize, including a cheque for €5,000.The exhibition opens to the public tomorrow afternoon. Judging will continue through Friday morning and the winning Young Scientist project will be announced early on Friday evening.
Primary school science groups may begin visiting the exhibition from tomorrow morning from 9.30am and secondary school science groups and the public can begin visits from 1.30-5.30pm.
The exhibition is open to the public on Friday from 9.30am-5pm and the awards ceremony takes place in the BT arena at the RDS from 5.30-7.30pm that day. The exhibition is also open on Saturday from 9.30am-5.30pm.
Student and concession tickets to the event cost €5, and €10 for adults.
Family tickets, for two adults and two children, cost €25. School parties of 20 or more cost €4 per student and primary school groups are €3.50 per student.
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, will preside over this afternoon's official opening ceremony in the BT Arena at the RDS.
Visitor numbers usually reach 35,000 and children and adults of all ages can enjoy meeting the students and taking part in the dozens of shows and events that take place over the exhibition's four days.
One exciting new event is "Bogglevision", a three-dimensional film presentation brought for the first time to the Republic by the Armagh Planetarium's Northern Ireland Space Office.
Also new to the Young Scientist are the Creature Feature Gorillas who put on a show to highlight the precarious future of the 700 remaining African mountain gorillas in existence.
There is the "Eco-Zone" and there are dozens of displays in the "World of Science & Technology" exhibition centre.
There is also a special display area for primary school research projects aand as ever, there will be robots, mechanical monsters who will battle to the death in the "World of Robots" arena.