Record-Breaking Success and Silicon Valley Win at the 2013 BT Young Scientist Exhibition

🏆 STEM • Silicon Valley Prize Winners

20 January 2013 • Davitt College Castlebar

Davitt College achieved a landmark result at the 2013 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, qualifying a record four projects for the national finals at the RDS in Dublin.

This historic achievement mirrors the findings of a recent Department of Education and Skills Inspectorate report, which commended Davitt College as “a very progressive school and a true learning community where the widespread use of Information Communications Technology has revolutionised teaching and learning.”

🤖 Silicon Valley Winner

‘The World at Your Fingertips’

Jack McEllin, Conor Reilly & Sean Murphy (Mentor: Mr. Aaron Tonry)

The TY team engineered a bespoke Robotic Glove acting as a high-precision computer mouse, designed for future commercial applications across the music and physiotherapy sectors.

🏆 Major Accolades Won: • Analog Devices Travel Award 2013: All-expenses-paid trip to present to researchers in Silicon Valley, California.
• 3rd Prize: Technology Intermediate Group.
• €2,500 School Grant for science equipment & Perpetual Trophy.

🧩 Social Science

‘How Board Games Can Help Autism’

Andrey Connolly (First Year)

First Year student Andrey Connolly earned high praise for his thorough, compassionate research. Andrey designed, developed, and rigorously tested a bespoke board game specifically tailored to support children on the autism spectrum.

🌟 Ministerial Commendation: Warmly commended by An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D., who took a keen personal interest in the real-world accessibility and developmental impact of Andrey’s game design.

🇮🇪 High-Profile RDS Demonstrations

During the exhibition, the Davitt College students demonstrated their working prototype directly to An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D., and shared a lively demonstration with RTÉ broadcaster Ryan Tubridy.

RDS Dublin 2013

Davitt College BT Young Scientist Winners with An Taoiseach Enda Kenny and BT CEO Colm O'Neill

📸 RDS Award Presentation Showcase:

Pictured with their winning project ‘The World at Your Fingertips’ are Davitt College students Sean Murphy, Jack McEllin, and Conor Reilly, alongside Mr. Colm O’Neill (CEO, BT Ireland) and An Taoiseach, Mr. Enda Kenny T.D. at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2013.