Derry student declared Young Scientist of the Year in UK competition

A Derry student has won the title of UK Young Scientist of the Year after creating a natural sunscreen that is better for people and the planet.

Kaycee Deery (15) won the award at the Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition at The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

Kaycee was in disbelief when she collected the award.

“This is surreal. I don’t feel like I’ve done it, but I did,” she said.

“I decided to do this project to create a more sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly sunscreen. This award will help me continue and advance the project and hopefully, some day have an actual product to give people”.

Kaycee was inspired to create sunscreens based on natural ingredients after learning about potentially harmful chemicals in commercial sunscreens entering UK water systems.

Washed away after swimming in the sea, pools and showering, these chemicals can harm and kill vital marine life and coral.

Kaycee found a solution to this problem by creating several natural sunscreens with UVA protection ranging from SPF9 to SPF34, derived from naturally occurring oils.

Two more St Mary's students won awards at the competition. Nikita Morrison and Becca Connolly won the intermediate category for their project which tested the effect of different pH on hydrogels in a project .

St Mary’s Science Teacher Mrs Blanking said the school is incredibly proud of the girls’ achievements.

“We're over the moon. I can't believe it. They've taken two of the biggest prizes that were on offer. You can't do much better than that,” she said.

“We're really, really proud of them. They represented the school brilliantly and conducted themselves well – spoke to everybody.

“The Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Dame Angela McLean, was there speaking to Kacey about her project.”

The contest was judged by experts in the field of science and engineering.

On the very same day St Mary's had two more students, Rebecca Lewis and Lexi Melrose, representing them at another STEM event – the BT Ireland Centre for Innovation Showcase. They also had successful day and had a chance to speak to speak to experts at the Belfast event.

After winning the award, Kaycee is continuing to develop her sunscreen product and hopes to release it to the public some day.

“She's looking at adding lycopene to it. Lycopene is a conjugated hydrocarbon, which absorbs UV radiation. It's the red colour that you find in tomatoes. It's actually a natural sunscreen for tomatoes,” Mrs Blanking said.