Prototype milk testing device unveiled by BT Young Scientists
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Prototype milk testing device unveiled by BT Young Scientists
13.01.2010
Liam McCarthy and John D O’Callaghan winners of the 2009 BT Young Scientist award and First Prizewinners of the 21st EU Contest for Young Scientists (September 2009) unveiled their prototype device in UCC today (January 13th 2010).
The Young Scientists from Kinsale Community School, were guided and advised to further develop their test method by Professor John O’Halloran, Vice-Head of the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science (SEFS).  Professor O’Halloran commented: “As a judge at the BTYS, I realised John and Liam’s enthusiasm and the potential to further develop the project.”
 
Mr Kevin Dalton, Commercialisation Specialist in the Technology Transfer Office UCC, who mentored the winners through the commercialisation and patenting processes said:  “They had such a clever and simple solution for an on-farm milk quality test that everyone was willing to assist them in further developing their product.”

PURDYLUCEY Intellectual Property worked pro bono and on January 8th 2010 an International Patent Application was filed, which protects their invention in more than 150 countries. Furthermore, Louet Woods Products Ltd also seen on Dragon’s Den worked, again at no cost, on John and Liam’s vision of the product and developed the first prototype device that was unveiled today.
 
Their winning project ‘The Development of a Convenient Test Method (The Ballymartle Milk Test) for Somatic Cell Count and its Importance in Milk Production’ provides a simple and reliable test for the early stages of diseases such as mastitis in cows’ milk.

John and Liam will attend the opening of the 2010 BTYS in the RDS this week. Their experience of the commercial side of their winning project is the focus of a new award and thematic area in this year’s event – the BT Business of Science and Technology Award. Their vision is to develop an inexpensive cow-side testing device that can be used easily by dairy farmers to signal early stage disease. Regular monitoring of milk on the farm will improve milk quality and subsequently increase farmer incomes. Licensing and further product development will be the next steps.

Picture L-R: John D O’Callaghan, Kevin Dalton, Technology Transfer Office, UCC, Professor John O’Halloran, Vice Head, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, UCC and Liam McCarthy.

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