The IRIS Awards recognise our bright young researchers, the teachers who support them and our partners who make our projects a reality.
BEST RESEARCH PROJECT
ALTRINCHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOR BOYSThe use of DNA Origami nanostructures to help solve compatibility issues with transplants to reduce organ transplant rejection risk.
OUR LADY’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, NEWRYThe development of reusable ionic liquids to establish greener and more sustainable methods for the catalytic synthesis of esters.
KING EDWARD VI CAMP HILL SCHOOL FOR BOYSUsing the XGBoost AI algorithm to help particle physicists streamline the process of identifying rare particle decay, such as the Higgs boson.
BEST RESEARCH TEAM
LIMAVADY GRAMMARA collaborative approach to the Big Data: ATLAS project. They split into research groups to gather the most evidence possible for their research.
DERBY COLLEGEA sophisticated comparison of different governments’ responses to the Covid pandemic and the impact various restrictions had on the number of deaths.
DIXONS SIXTH FORMCreative self-led research which evaluated the versatility of ionic liquid, BMIM Chloride, in preventing the growth of E. coli, a type of gram-negative bacteria.
BEST RESEARCHER
SELMA – LIVERPOOL UTCSelma developed a nano-dentist robot which will be able to regenerate tooth enamel using DNA Origami technology.
EDWARD – RALPH THORESBYEdward developed code required for the DNA Origami software to produce 3D models of the DNA nanostructures.
ELLIOTT – LIVERPOOL UTCElliott researched how types of bacteria on a person’s skin attract mosquitos using a Scanning Electron Microscope.
OUTSTANDING TEACHER
DR KAREN MARSHALL – LADIES COLLEGE GUERNSEYKaren’s commitment to running projects with IRIS for the last five years has enabled her students to help solve problems specific to Guernsey.
JAYNE PIERRE – DIXONS SIXTH FORMJayne’s infectious passion for research has motivated students to undertake creative, innovative projects on topics which interest them most.
BROOKE PORTER – DOVER GIRLS GRAMMARBrooke has fostered a community where collaborative and curious young researchers can develop their skills and pursue their own research.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
DR MARIEKE ROYLE – MULLION SCHOOLMarieke has run ecologically-minded projects which benefit the local area and encouraged students to see themselves as researchers who can make a difference.
LIVERPOOL LIFE SCIENCES UTCLiverpool UTC have encouraged students from STEM fields, as well as those in other disciplines, to use and learn about the Scanning Electron Microscope.
DR JAMES PERKINS & DR ALEX BALLThese passionate individuals from Queens Elizabeth’s Grammar School and the Natural History Museum run an impressive programme that loans a Scanning Electron Microscope to schools.
OUTSTANDING PARTNER
ATLAS TEAMThe ATLAS team have gone above and beyond with support, workshops and events to inspire young researchers to imagine a future in particle physics.
COSMIC MINING TEAMThe Cosmic Mining team have supported aspiring astronomers in classifying stars using spectra from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
QUEENS UNIVERSITY BELFASTThe team at QUB launched the latest ionic liquids project, inspiring students to consider the environmental impact of chemical production.
IRIS AWARD WINNERS 2022Learn about last year’s winners of the IRIS Awards and the incredible research that took place.
OUR PROJECTSInspired? Get involved. IRIS projects support students and teachers, wherever they are on their research journey.