2004 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Dublin City University

Michael A. Cotter
IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad 2003–04

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]