Councillor Deirdre Heney, Deputy Lord Mayor, and Mr Sean Brady, IBM, with trophy winners
Over 450 students from almost every county in Ireland gathered
at Dublin City University on Saturday, December 6th 2003, to compete in the 2003–04 IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad. This All-Ireland science competition in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming and Physics is open to all second-level students from the Republic of Ireland and from Northern Ireland. These students were competing for gold, silver and bronze All-Ireland Science Olympiad medals, for places on the Irish 2004 International Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming and Physics Olympiads teams, and for membership of the Irish 2004 European Union Science Olympiad (EUSO2004) teams.
In early October 2003, every second level school/college in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland received letters addressed to the Head of Biology, Head of Chemistry, Head of Physics and Head of Maths/Computers. They were invited to nominate their best students in their subject to participate in the IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad in DCU on Saturday December 6th. The letters were sent out on October 16th, the deadline for returned application forms was November 12th, and invitations to the selected finalists were posted on November 20th.
The students began arriving at DCU at 10.00 am to register for each of the competitions, and the three-hour tests began at 11.00 am.
Professor Richard O Kennedy (Biology), Dr Paraic James (Chemistry), Dr Charlie Daly (Computer Programming) and Dr Eilish Mc Loughlin (Physics), who are each responsible for one section of the Olympiad, had teams of DCU staff and postgraduate students ready to administer, supervise and correct the tests.
At 4.00 p.m. the students, many accompanied by their parents and teachers, crowded into a packed Larkin Theatre for the closing ceremony. Professor Malcolm Smyth, Dean of the Science & Health Faculty, opened the proceedings by welcoming Councillor Deirdre Heney, Deputy Lord Mayor, and Mr Sean Brady, IBM, to DCU. He thanked the parents and teachers for their support and encouragement of these talented young Irish scientists, and IBM, the Department of Education & Science, and Forfás for sponsoring this event. He was particularly appreciative of the tremendous effort put in by the DCU staff and postgraduate students in bringing the 2003–04 IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad to a successful conclusion.
These sentiments were echoed by Mr Sean Brady, IBM, and by Councillor Deirdre Heney, Deputy Lord Mayor.
Each finalist was presented with a specially designed certificate.
Medal winners
The senior section is on an All Ireland basis. Only students from the Republic are eligible to compete in the junior (U. 16) section, leading to membership of the EUSO2004 teams. See page 71 for the EUSO Irish team members.
BIOLOGY Senior Section (All Ireland)
Award
|
Student Name
|
School
|
Gold + Trophy
|
Joanna Curry
|
Convent Grammar School, Curley Hill Road, Strabane,
Co. Tyrone
|
Gold
|
Marguerite Carter
|
Loreto High School, Beaufort, Grange Road,
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
|
Silver
|
William ffrench-O'Carroll
|
St Michael's College, Aylesbury Road, Dublin 4
|
Silver
|
Jill Kempton
|
Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School, 1 Cooper
Crescent, Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh
|
Bronze
|
James Fitzgerald
|
St Mary's Secondary School, Dromcollogher, Co.
Limerick
|
Bronze
|
Edmund McCallion
|
St Columba's College, Buncrana Road, Derry
|
Bronze
|
Caoimhe O'Connor
|
Muckross Park College Donnybrook, Dublin 4
|
Bronze
|
Alan Kershaw
|
Coleraine Academic Institution, Co. Derry
|
CHEMISTRY Senior Section (All Ireland)
Award
|
Student Name
|
School
|
Gold + Trophy
|
John O'Boyle
|
St. Louis Grammar School, Ballymena, Co. Antrim
|
Gold
|
Lorraine Hestor
|
Sacred Heart School, Tullamore, Co. Offaly
|
Silver
|
Ciaran Devlin
|
Lumen Christi College, Co. Derry
|
Silver
|
Paul Duffy
|
St Mary's Diocesan School, Drogheda, Co. Louth
|
Bronze
|
Darragh O'Shea
|
St. Paul's College, Raheny, Co. Dublin
|
Bronze
|
Mary Scullion
|
St Louis Grammar School, Ballymena, Co. Antrim
|
Bronze
|
Steven Hutchinson
|
Banbridge Academy, Co. Down
|
Bronze
|
Conor Corbett
|
Rice College, Westport, Co. Mayo
|
PHYSICS Senior Section (All Ireland)
Award
|
Student Name
|
School
|
Gold + Trophy
|
Christophe McGlade
|
Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast
|
Gold
|
Robert Clancy
|
Belvedere College, Great Denmark Street, Dublin 2
|
Silver
|
Matyas Petho
|
Sutton Park, St Fintan's Rd, Sutton, Dublin 13
|
Silver
|
Samuel Maginnis
|
Portadown College, Killicihaine Road, Portadown, Co
Armagh
|
Bronze
|
Michael Magee
|
Methodist College, 1 Malone Road, Belfast
|
Bronze
|
Sinead Griffin
|
Loreto Secondary School, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin
|
Bronze
|
Alex Humphrey
|
Coleraine Academical Institution, Castleknock Road,
Coleraine, Co. Derry
|
Bronze
|
Colm Kelleher
|
De la Salle College, Macroom, Co Cork
|
Computer Programming
Senior Section (All Ireland)
Award
|
Student Name
|
School
|
Gold+ Trophy
|
Martin Orr
|
Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast
|
Silver
|
Daniel Kirsten
|
Kilkenny College, Kilkenny
|
Bronze
|
Jonathon Bolster
|
St Columb's College, Buncrana Road, Derry
|
Bronze
|
Alex Clossick
|
Clongowes Wood College, Outside Clane, Co. Kildare
|
Contact: Michael A. Cotter, Director, Irish Science Olympiad, Science Faculty, DCU, Dublin 9;
E-mail:
[email protected]
|