There is a vintage crop of good ideas this year at the annual BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, with most focusing on clever concepts with commercial possibilities.
President Mary McAleese officially opened the event at Dublin’s RDS in Dublin at 2pm.
As ever the atmosphere in the RDS main hall is electric, with the energy supplied by the enthusiasm of the students taking part.
They are all hoping to come through on Friday evening as the BT Young Scientist for 2011, claiming a trophy and a cheque for €5,000.
More than 1,700 projects were submitted for consideration in this year's event and the 513 projects that made it through the elimination stages are of a very high standard.
Typical of the ideas on display is a project by Abeer Shahid and James McCartan from Abbey Christian Brothers GS in Co Down. They have developed a way to stop motorists from driving and talking on the mobile at the same time.
Their concept blocks the phone signal within a car unless the handbrake is applied.
Rachael Hynes, Niamh Molloy and Aisling Hynes of St Brigid's Mercy Secondary School in Galway, have come up with a way to prevent drivers from falling asleep at the wheel.
Their detector recognises changes in oxygen levels and if the driver falls asleep the device causes the seatbelt to shake, waking the driver.
The projects are grouped in categories of chemical, physical and mathematical sciences; biological and ecological sciences; technology; and social and behavioural sciences.
The exhibition opens to the public tomorrow and closes on Saturday evening.