Making frog venom palatable to the masses was just one of the achievements that helped earned Irish Times Science Editor, Dick Ahlstrom, the title of National Science and Technology Journalist of the Year.
Mr Ahlstrom received the accolade at the third annual awards ceremony sponsored by IBM and the Forfβs Science, Technology and Innovation programme yesterday.
He had submitted articles to the judging panel, chaired by the broadcaster Pat Kenny, on subjects as diverse as the potential healing powers of frogs and the links between cave stalagmites and climate change.
But in their citation the judges said they made their award in recognition of a very considerable body of work by Mr Ahlstrom over many years.
His work had demonstrated both his talent as a journalist and commitment to his subject, they said.
"No journalist in Ireland has done more to get science and technology taken seriously in the media. By the same token, no journalist has done more to make science and technology accessible to the general public."
The Minister for Science, Technology and Commerce, Mr Noel Treacy, said it was vital that science and technology were communicated effectively. "Very few of us are equipped to read and understand the detailed and complex descriptions and debates that go on in the world of the sciences. We rely heavily on journalism to make it meaningful, accessible and interesting," he said.
Other awards went to Fergal Bowers of irishhealth.com, Mary Sweetman for an article in Technology Ireland, Prof Tom Hayden for a Wild Ireland article and Camilla Carroll and James Kerr for a BBC Radio Ulster documentary.