PICTURES: Proud moments for Tipperary schools at the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist Exhibition

Tipperary students were among the standout performers at the 2026 Stripe Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, taking home an impressive eleven awards across a wide range of scientific, technological and social disciplines.

The overall winner of the exhibition was Aoibheann Daly, a fourth-year student from Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk in Kerry, whose project “GlioScope: Multi-task Deep Learning and Causal AI for Glioma & Glioblastoma Profiling” impressed judges with its potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of brain cancer.

While the top prize went to Kerry, Tipperary schools made a major impact throughout the competition, underlining the county’s strength in innovation and research at second level.

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Among the award winners was Oisin Howley of Cashel Community College, who received the Fr Tom Burke Bursary Award and also placed 3rd Senior Individual (Social & Behavioural Sciences) for his project assessing how well the Junior Cycle prepares students for the Leaving Cycle.

C.B.S. Thurles student Luke Blackwell enjoyed a particularly successful exhibition, winning the National Disability Authority Award and securing 1st Senior Individual (Health & Wellbeing) for his quantitative analysis of urban inaccessibility and its impact on wheelchair users’ quality of life.

St Joseph’s College students were recognised across several categories. James Maher and Daniel Ryan Begley won the Research Ireland Societal Challenge Award for their investigation into protecting native Irish honey bees from the invasive Vespa velutina using sound waves.

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Another St Joseph’s team — Luke Ryan, Daniel Groome and Jack Groome — placed 2nd Intermediate Group (Health & Wellbeing) for their project mapping care gaps in an ageing Irish population. Meanwhile, Lucy Rabbitte, Aoibhe Hassett and Anna Meehan secured 2nd Intermediate Group (Chemical, Physical & Mathematical Sciences) for their study on how landing techniques in sport affect ACL strain.

Rockwell College also featured prominently. Sean Cahill and Paddy Corcoran won the ERC – Tom Kellaghan Award and were named 1st Senior Group (Technology) for Studytok, an innovative project examining digital learning through social media platforms.

In Presentation Secondary School Clonmel, Cara Darmody received the RTÉ Science and Society Award for her work on combating misconceptions and misinformation surrounding autism diagnoses. Presentation Secondary School Thurles student Grace O’Shaughnessy placed 2nd Intermediate Individual (Health & Wellbeing) with her project examining the impact of competition on health and wellbeing.

Speaking about the overall standard of projects at this year’s exhibition, judges praised the depth of research, originality and social relevance shown by students.

The strong showing by Tipperary schools reflected not only academic excellence, but a clear commitment to tackling real-world challenges — from healthcare access and disability inclusion to education reform and environmental protection.