| 2004 |
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YEAR BOOK |
Dublin City University
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First Irish World Gold Medal in Computing
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The Irish IOI 2003 Team was selected from the finalists at the IBM/DCU Computer Programming Olympiad held in DCU in December 2002. The team followed an online training programme designed and implemented by Charlie Daly & Ciar�n O Conaire. They also attended an intensive residential course in the School of Computing, DCU, prior to their departure to the USA.
Martin was also awarded the �2,500 IBM Scholarship for winning the IOI Gold Medal at an awards ceremony in September.
Charlie Daly has been the Irish IOI Team Leader since 1993, when Ireland first participated in the IOI in Argentina. He and Michael A. Cotter were the co-founders of the IBM/DCU All Ireland Schools Programming Competition in 1994. This was later incorporated into the IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad, when Ireland began participating in the IChO, IBO and IPhO.
Ciar�n O Conaire (2003 Deputy Team Leader) was a bronze medal winner at the 1999 IOI in Turkey. Later that year he became an undergraduate student in DCU and was awarded a first class honours B.Eng. (Telecommunications Engineering) degree in 2003. He is at present pursuing a Ph.D. with Dr Noel O Connor in the Centre for Digital Video Processing.
IBM University Scholarship Awarded
Four Irish students, selected and trained for the International Science Olympiads at Dublin City University, were awarded IBM University Scholarships by the Country General Manager, Mr Michael Daly, at an awards ceremony at the IBM Headquarters, Dublin.
Martin Orr was the first Irish student to be awarded the E2,500 IBM University Scholarship for achieving success at the annual International Science Olympiads. Martin was a member of the four strong Irish team that competed in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in Wisconsin University, USA in August 2003. The best 260 competitors from over seventy countries took part.
IBM scholarships for �750 were awarded to Paul Webster, the High School, Zion Road, Rathgar, Dublin, who won a bronze medal at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in Minsk, Belarus. Lauren Rutherford, Foyle & Londonderry College, Derry, was equally successful at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Athens, Greece; and Michael White, of the Hamilton High School, Bandon, Co. Cork, won a bronze medal at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), which was held in Taiwan.
" I was very pleased to have the opportunity to travel to Wisconsin University for the 2003 International Olympiad in Informatics, and even more delighted to come home with a gold medal. The competition questions were difficult but enjoyable. It was great to meet so many people of my own age from all around the world who share an interest in computing and to join in social activities with them."
Charlie Daly, Irish IOI Team Leader, said:
" Martin winning the gold IOI medal is an incredible achievement. He is a very talented young man. Only a handful of people could solve the IOI programming problems in the time allocated as Martin did."
At the presentation of the IBM University Scholarships, Mr Michael Daly, Country General Manager at IBM, noted that:
" In a time where innovation and development are vital to support the economy, these students have proved that we do have the talent in Ireland to compete on a global scale. We sincerely congratulate the students, their parents, their teachers and the Science and Computing faculties at DCU."
Michael Cotter, Director of the Irish Science Olympiad added:
" All the international medal winners have achieved an amazing level of success when you consider that some countries specifically train students over many years for these events. The recognition from IBM, who have sponsored the event in Ireland for the past ten years, is well deserved and much appreciated. The DCU Science and Computing staff who, year after year, commit time and effort to supporting the Olympiads, are to be congratulated."
Contact: Michael A. Cotter, Director, Irish Science Olympiad, Science Faculty, DCU, Dublin 9;
E-mail: [email protected]