The IRIS Awards celebrated the remarkable research carried out by young innovators from secondary schools, sixth forms and colleges across the UK – along with the incredible teachers and industry partners who have supported and inspired them. This year we welcomed Professor Tom Welton OBE from Imperial College London who gave an inspiring keynote speech on the power of research.
St Wilfrid’s Catholic High School and Sixth Form College got involved with IRIS’ newest pilot project – Elephants on the Move. The group of Year 8s went beyond the basic aims of the project, investigating how the sex of orphaned elephants influenced how often and how close they came to human settlements. They produced excellent research and used new technology to plot the locations of villages and built new skills in the process.
Highly Commended schools in this category were Fitzharrys School and the King’s Academy. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.
Connor from Cambourne Science and International Academy looked at avalanche research, a truly ambitious original research project. He worked on improving the discovery of people caught in avalanches, training a machine-learning algorithm on stock images. He used his initial findings to improve his project, and hopes that his work might lead to improvements in casualty-finding in the future.
Highly Commended schools in this category were Mill Hill County High School and King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.
The team at Woodford County High School for girls, demonstrated excellent use of research skills as they carried out their project. Working on the IRIS Earth Observation project, the group used data from Copernicus and the Sentinel 5P satellite to a very technical level, adapting the software code to highlight chlorophyll, allowing them to map harmful algal blooms.
Highly Commended schools in this category were Cirencester College and HSDC Alton College. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.
Victoria Dean from The King’s Academy has gone above and beyond to inspire and educate students. She diversified the range of projects in school, running no less than 7 projects, and has inspired other members of staff to get involved. Victoria has sought out opportunities for her students beyond the school too, developing a partnership with the Bragg Centre for Materials Research at Leeds University.
Highly Commended nominees in this category were Hannah Baker from Camborne Science and International Academy, and Alice Stafford from Silverdale School. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.
The Tiffin Girls’ School has worked hard to deliver multiple projects and ensure more and more students have opportunities to carry out research. They’ve also made it collaborative, with colleagues working together across departments. They’re now running seven projects across four subject areas, meaning more than 80 students get to take part in real research.
Highly Commended schools in this category were Swanwick Hall School and St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Dewsbury. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.
Callington Community College ran two projects about biodiversity in their local environment. One looked at acidification in coastal rock pools, while the other examined why salmon populations were falling in their local river; the River Tamar. The team of five students found official data-gathering to be insufficient and made recommendations to their local council to tackle the threats they found.
Highly Commended schools in this category were Graveney School and Limavady Grammar School. Learn more about all the nominees in our video.