A Dublin student has won the top prize at 'The Eurekas', a major annual awards programme that works to break down barriers to the study of physics.
The Institute of Physics competition is open to students aged 11-16 from across the UK and Ireland.
The winning entry - 'Through Another Eyes' - was inspired by Amelia Lupascu's cat and explores how physics shapes the way that animals perceive the world in ways that go far beyond human ability.
The project examines how different animals use light waves, sound vibrations and magnetic fields to perceive the world around them.
Amelia, 16, is a student at Adamstown Community College in Dublin, and was a runner-up in last year's competition.
"I came across this idea because I have a cute little cat. I was aware that they could see the world in different colours than us humans and began to wonder what other animals see when perceiving the world," she explained.
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"Seeing the world can mean many different things, such as sensing through echolocation or using magnetic fields, and is definitely not limited to light entering an eye, which really intrigued me and provided a new angle to this question.
"What I love most about the sciences is precisely these interesting angles. I believe the best discoveries are made when not only looking for the answer but for a new question."
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Amelia said the judges commended the creativity of the project, adding that she was grateful to them for recognising it.
She said she plans to pursue a career in science but has not narrowed down the field just yet.
"But I'm pretty clear on going into a science field," she said.
Mariia Rudnitska, 13, who studies at Nord Anglia International School Dublin, in Leopardstown, took second place for her project on 'The Hidden Physics in Mirrors'. It explores the physics behind how flat mirrors work, focusing on the law of reflection.
Katie Staunton, a student at Mount Sackville Secondary School in Chapelizod, Dublin, won a 'highly commended' award for her entry 'Two Slits to Many Worlds'.
The 14-year-old conducted experiments with lasers in the school laboratory to demonstrate wave-like interference patterns and illustrate the collective behaviour of photons.
'The Eurekas' competition is run as part of the Institute of Physics' Limit Less campaign to break down barriers to the study of physics.
Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Institute of Physics, Sarah Bakewell, said the judges were blown away by all of the entries for an "inspiring event to judge".
"The quality of entries both in terms of creativity and physics content make 'The Eurekas' such an enjoyable and inspiring event to judge each year," she said.
This year, the competition received 274 entries from schools across the UK and Ireland in a wide range of formats, from film and music, to poetry and presentations.
