Ramsgrange Community School impresses at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition

It was a momentous week for three Ramsgrange Community School students; Katie Franklin, Sophie Hart and Colleen Waters who represented their school at the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. The competition which is now held annually in the RDS in Dublin began in 1965 and consisted of 230 different entries from secondary school students across the country. Since then, the exhibition grew from strength to strength with approximately 2000 projects being entered into the initial application rounds where all projects were assessed before being narrowed down to just 550 projects being chosen to progress to the final stage of the competition which took place between Wednesday January 8 and Saturday January 11 in the RDS. The exhibition which is a staple in the academic, scientific and technological calendar every year attracts over 40,000 people thus making it one of the biggest events of its kind both in Europe and worldwide.

The three Ramsgrange students were entered into the Social and Behavioural Sciences category with their project entitled, An investigation into the potential gender bias in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain conditions in Ireland. The subject matter itself is something that is very relevant to each of the three girls with inspiration to undertake the investigation coming from a shared personal experience, either directly or indirectly, into experiencing chronic pain as well as a misdiagnosis due to gender bias. One of the group members, Colleen, attended the 2024 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition as a visitor and felt that the three girls could conduct an investigation of their own and apply to the competition. Progress on the project was paused as the girls navigated through their junior cycle exams in June 2024 however, on return to school in the following August, it was full steam ahead.

The work began with the girls initiating their research through exploring various studies carried out and articles published in a selection of academic journals on the subject. They also liaised with their science teacher Ms. Alanna Roche who guided them throughout the whole process and the initial application was made to the exhibition which consisted of a 600 word essay outlining their project and their aims. They also recorded a video presentation for their application which was edited and produced by fellow 5th year student, Matthew Haskins of which was highly commended by the judges.

Based on their research, the students first defined chronic pain as pain persisting for three months or more. The field research then began with the girls conducting a survey along with

two interviews on peoples’ experiences with chronic pain and how it was dealt with through out the health care system. On analysis of their results, the students found that gender bias was apparent in the Irish healthcare system with 75% of men having positive experiences in getting a diagnosis and treatment, compared to only 40% of women. All the information was collated and summarised on a poster for display at the exhibition as well as the completion of their project book which was submitted to the judges during the exhibition.

The three students, accompanied by their teacher Ms. Roche headed for the RDS on the Wednesday where the exhibition was officially opened by President Michael D. Higgins and the first round of judging took place. This was followed by the exhibition being opened to the public on the Thursday where visitors also consisted of their fellow students from Ramsgrange Community School who took the trip up to the support the girls and their project as well as to check out the other projects on display. Two more judges visited the girls’ exhibition and questioned them on their project before the final round of judging which took place on the Friday. The project sparked interest among a wide variety of the visitors and judges over the course of the exhibition, many of whom who had their own experiences with chronic pain. The girls were also interviewed by RTÉ and featured on the radio and the news.

Friday also featured the award ceremony with the girls being awarded with a ribbon on their poster commending their display. A fantastic achievement and well deserved following the hard work and dedication of the three girls and which they have committed to progressing their research in an attempt to finding solutions to the problem of gender bias within our health system. Commenting on the girls’ project and their achievement, Transition Year Co-Ordinator for the school Ms. Louise Walsh congratulated the students on representing themselves, their families, the Transition Year Programme, the school and Co. Wexford so competently and confidently over the course of the exhibition. Principal Ms. Tracey Edwards also expressed her pride in the girls in highlighting a vitally important issue that resonates with so many people. “The girls have worked incredibly hard over the past number of months preparing, researching and presenting their project. They have gained valuable skills that will serve them well as they progress into senior cycle, third level and future careers. Every day we challenge our students to achieve their best in everything that they do, these girls have certainly met that challenge head on.” She concluded by thanking the girls’ science teacher, Ms. Alanna Roche who she added “was a phenomenal support to the girls over the last

number of months and also to all of staff that are so dedicated to their students in RCS.” Ms. Alanna Roche also shared her praise for the girls and their hard work and dedication throughout the project and wanted to extend thanks to Think Print and Design who sponsored the poster for the girls’ presentation during the exhibition.

Catching up with the three girls themselves, they were delighted with the whole experience and were blown away by the positive response it got from the judges as well as members of the public. Looking ahead to next year themselves the girls also recommended that anyone “who either has an interest in science or is very passionate about a certain topic to check out the competition and consider applying next year” as it was a fantastic experience overall.