The President, Mrs McAleese, has praised students for their intellectual "noseyness", their curiosity about the sciences and their contribution to the world's body of knowledge.
She was speaking yesterday at the official opening of the Esat Telecom Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, now under way at the RDS in Dublin.
It is the 36th successive Young Scientist event and this year involves almost 1,000 students from the Republic and Northern Ireland.
The President welcomed the doubling of the numbers attending from the North, which she said made it a "truly all-Ireland event", adding "we can see this event pays real dividends" in terms of its investment in youth.
She praised the students for their intellectual curiosity, "the noseyness you have", saying she hoped this would not change despite all the change in society today.
"It is great to be in the company of people who have that noseyness, that curiosity."
She added: "The causeway to the science of the future is built by that crucial mix of sheer hard work and excitement at the potential of discovery, of contributing to the world's body of knowledge and to humankind's capacity to improve that world for all of us."
The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy, attended the exhibition yesterday afternoon. "It is wonderful that we have the youth of Ireland where we can see the talent bank we have here," he stated.
"These projects are a testament to the imagination, innovativeness and scientific aptitude of our young people and augur very well for the future of the science base in Ireland," said Mr Treacy.
The President was introduced by the chairman of Esat Telecom, Mr Denis O'Brien, who described the event as "one of Ireland's most important science showcases" and one which would launch many young Irish people into careers in the sciences.
The exhibition is one of the largest yet staged, with more than 450 projects on display. Judging got under way yesterday after Mrs McAleese's visit, during which she examined a number of the stands and spoke to the students.
Judging continues today and tomorrow morning, with the top prizes for the best group and individual projects being announced tomorrow evening. The prize fund for the four best projects is £1,900.
As in previous years, the exhibition is taking place in the RDS Main Hall. Projects are grouped into three categories: the physical and chemical sciences with mathematics; the biological and ecological sciences; and the social and behavioural sciences. Students are also grouped into age categories.
Visitors and student groups are able to attend the exhibition earlier this year, with the event open to the public from today until Saturday. The cost is £5 for adults and £2.50 for students.
Visitors may also attend demonstration workshops and seminars that will take place during the week.