St Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow students win Teagasc Special Award at Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2026

Students from St Mary’s Secondary School, Mallow, Co. Cork have been recognised for their outstanding scientific achievement at the Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition 2026, winning the prestigious Teagasc Special Award for their innovative project investigating soil organic matter in North Cork.

Second year students Méabh Dorgan, Katie Fitzgerald and Muireann Murphy impressed judges with their project ‘An Investigation into Soil Organic Matter in North Cork Using UAV RGB Imagery: Supporting the ‘4 per 1000’ Initiative and Climate Change Mitigation’. The Teagasc Special Award is presented annually to the project that best demonstrates a thorough understanding of the science of agricultural or food production, or the application of science to improve technologies in these sectors.

The Teagasc Special Award was presented by Professor Frank O’Mara, Director of Teagasc, who invited the students to visit a Teagasc research centre to learn more about work in this area.

“These students represent the next generation of scientific talent in Ireland,” said Professor O’Mara. “Their ability to apply science and technology to an issue as important as soil health and climate change is impressive, and we look forward to seeing where their curiosity and ambition take them next.”

Their project was a strong example of how young people can be inspired by science in their local environment. Using low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the students explored how red, green and blue (RGB) imagery could be used to estimate soil organic matter content, with potential benefits for climate change mitigation and more cost-effective soil management.

The Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, one of Europe’s largest STEM events, took place from January 7-10 and attracts an average of 40,000 students, teachers, and parents each year, providing a major platform for young scientists to showcase their work.

The team developed and presented their project under the guidance of their maths teacher, Mr Rory Coote. Their entry stood out for its experimental design, clear methodology and potential real-world application. This marks the second occasion on which a group mentored by Mr Coote has won the Teagasc Special Award.

Speaking to Eimear Ferguson, Science Communication and Engagement Officer at Teagasc, who coordinated the Teagasc presence at the event, the students explained how they were inspired by an article they read in their local newspaper.

“We decided to study the organic matter content of soil using low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles to collect red, green and blue images of selected soil sites in County Cork,” said Méabh Dorgan.

“We wanted to create an easy and efficient way for farmers to measure the organic matter content of different soils in Ireland,” added Katie Fitzgerald.

“Our study clearly shows the potential of UAV-derived RGB imaging and how targeted soil management could help farmers reduce costs,” said Muireann Murphy.

Looking ahead, the students hope to develop an app that would allow farmers to use a drone connected to their phone to identify where fertiliser is needed most efficiently.