ForeWorD Enda Kenny TD, Taoiseach

ForeWorD

BT YoUnG scIenTIsT & TechnoloGY eXhIBITIon

I am honoured to write the foreword for this book marking the 50th BT Young scientist & Technology exhibition.

When Father Burke and Dr. Scott brought the first competitors together in the Round Room of the Mansion House back in 1965, it was with a strong belief in the potential of our young people. And they have been proving them right ever since. Year after year, the standard of the entries and, in turn, our amazement only seem to increase. And, though interest levels were high from the very beginning, BT’s involvement with the competition over fourteen years has brought with it new levels of exposure and success for the competition. We are all richer, thanks in no small part, to them and the other sponsors.

Each January, I leave the RDS renewed with hope and optimism for the future of this country. Again and again, I am heartened to see the overwhelming passion, spirit, talent and self belief of our young people. Every year, they prove their incredible capacity to position themselves at the very heart of progression in the world of science and technology. And, in doing so, they make us all very proud.

The Government believes strongly in our young people and their capacity to help Ireland become a global leader in the areas of science and technology research. For that reason, we are continuing to invest strongly and strategically in those areas, even in this time of such scarce resources. We know that science and technology are set to play key roles in Ireland’s future and recognise also the immense value of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in terms of the fulfilment of that wider goal.

Nowhere is Irish innovation more evident or the Irish imagination more alive than in the RDS throughout that very special week in January. It is a week when anything seems possible because anything really is possible.

long may this wonderful event continue to inspire us all.

ENDA KENNY, TD

TaoIseach