Ruairi Monaghan (winner, video category): Development of Specific Bio-films for use in the development of Point of Care Diagnostic Devices
With much of the research in the medical diagnostic field focussing on the creation of smaller devices with rapid test times and high accuracy, a large emphasis has been placed on creating disposable and cost effective sample testing products. Take a digital display pregnancy test as an example; it gives a very fast and reliable diagnosis by combining your urine with detection units on the device. This type of technology is completely dependent on the ability to accurately process the urine sample in a very small area. The principals behind this device are similar to other technologies in development, which will instead use separate small, disposable, and cheap plastic ‘chips’ to interact with the patients’ sample.
My work revolves around utilising widely available plasma processing tools, the same technology used globally in computer chip manufacturing, to develop tailor made chip surfaces using specifically selected chemicals. My chip surfaces are designed to work with a broad range of disease detector units, and on virtually any material, i.e. metal, plastic, glass chips etc. This multi-material process allows for my surfaces to find use in a wide variety of diagnostic tools. The unique surfaces I create work to improve the precision of the diagnostic systems by enhancing the chemical signal to be analysed, while also providing a cheaper method of manufacturing the chips. The results from my project will help reduce the overall cost of operation for these future diagnostic devices, while increasing their speed and accuracy.
Steve Conlon (runner-up, video category): The critical history of the Irish Student Movement and its impact on Irish social and political policy
This research critically examines the evolution of the Irish student movement and its contribution to modern Ireland. It will examine the shifting attitudes and perceptions of students throughout its one hundred year existence and examine what role it plays in today’s participatory democracy environment.
Students have contributed to public discourse and Irish society in a number of different ways, with varying levels of success. The movement has also been the training ground for many of Ireland’s politicians, senior public servants and journalists; who themselves have played a key role in the development of modern Ireland.
The research aims to trace the roots of the student movement, but not just within the confines of the recognised national organisation (USI); it also looks at the establishment of grassroot and fringe student organisations and seeks to identify what influence these had on public discourse.
It will examine why students believed it was necessary to organise and demand representation. It examines its stance on issues such as the preservation of Georgian Dublin, apartheid, civil rights, contraception, divorce, and abortion. It ascertains what level of power the movement had in influencing public opinion and policy, and whether this influence translated into tangible benefits for the student body or society as a whole.

A number of respected historians have noted a lack of a critical analysis into the influence of movements in shaping our history; this project seeks to rectify this in terms of one of our largest island-wide movements.
Katie Ní Loingsigh (winner, oral category): The compilation and classification of idioms in a database from the published works of Fr. Peter O’ Leary
I’m in seventh heaven, she kicked the bucket and he spilled the beans… Idioms are the little phrases of language that cause most difficulties for learners but native speakers take for granted. What do they mean, how can we understand, collect or translate them? Why bother? My research aims at collecting Irish-language idioms and creating an easily accessible digital database of the same.
As the world continually shrinks and as the influence of English on language is ever more common, we need to look at our natural discourse, our unique way of communicating and capture what is truly ours. Irish idioms often show little or no similarity to their English equivalents and it is my aim to collect, analyse and record these unique instances of language, e.g. it’s raining cats and dogs -- ag cur de dhíon is de dheora [raining from the roof and from tears]; to be furious -- ar deargbhuile [to be red angry]; the man on the moon -- Dónall na gealaí [Dónall of the moon].
There has been a relatively limited amount of research undertaken in this area of linguistics in
Ireland, from both an Irish and English perspective. This research will provide a practical digital database of Irish idioms which will be of benefit to researchers, students, writers, linguistics, etc. along with informing the international community of the unique Irish-language idioms that exist.
Additionally, it will provide a solid base for cross-cultural comparison along with options for further development and research in the area.
Adam J. Murphy (runner-up, oral category): Silica Nanoparticles: Cancer’s Hourglass
Chemotherapy is one of the few treatments that have an impressive effect on a wide variety of cancers. However, it also has some pretty horrific side effects. So there is a lot of potential in modifying these drugs to make them easier to deal with. Silica is just one part silicon to two parts oxygen. It’s nothing more magical than sand and glass, the makings of an hourglass. Bend it into the right shape however and it can be a useful tool in fighting cancer. This shape in a nanometre sized sphere. A nanometre is a billionth of a metre or, a millionth of a millimetre (whereas light has a wavelength of a few hundred nanometres). My research aims to modify these spheres to make them better at delivering drugs in a certain time frame. They can also be coated with antibodies, which are markers for certain cancers. This lets them target only the cancerous area. They can also be modified to only release the drugs they carry if the pH is just right, or the temperature is exact. There are many cancer treatments in the works, but many of them are still just wonderful ideas. Nanoparticles take two already existing technologies and combine them to create a new promising therapeutic.