Young Irish scientists have again been making their mark in world class science competitions in the form of schools olympiads staged over the past month.
The main Irish success was achieved by Alison Walker from Ballymena and Mark Bridgham from Ballyclare, who won bronze medals at the ninth International Biology Olympiad in Kiel, Germany. Both hope to go on to study medicine this autumn. It was the first time that Irish students participated in this olympiad.
At the 30th International Chemistry Olympiad in Melbourne, Australia, Kelly Hanna from Ballymena was awarded a certificate of distinction.
Ireland sent representatives to these two olympiads plus the physics olympiad in Reykjavik. There is also a team ready to attend the informatics olympiad, which takes place next month in Portugal.
Each team includes secondary school students from Ireland and Northern Ireland, selected from all-Ireland competitions organised by Dublin City University and supported by IBM, explained Dr Michael Cotter, who organises the IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad.
These competitions in turn allow an ongoing selection process, after further heats, for the international events which pit Ireland's best students against competitors from abroad.
The olympiads award gold, silver and bronze medals for excellence in each of the disciplines involved, with winners chosen after written and practical exams.
"The main point embedded in it is to get students interested in the sciences," Dr Cotter said. "The all-Ireland concept is very important to us as well."
The students get an opportunity to travel to far-flung destinations, and they also have the potential to bring home the medals. "We are doing extremely well considering we have won a silver last year in South Africa in physics and a bronze in Canada in chemistry," Dr Cotter said.
Funding for the students travelling abroad comes from the Department of Education and Science, the Office of Science and Technology, the HEA and DCU. The University of Limerick separately organises a team for the International Mathematics Olympiad, Dr Cotter added. It took place in Taiwan.
The chemistry team was completed by Fiona Begley from Swinford; Tom Branigan of Dublin and Owen Diamond of Maghera.
Members of the physics squad, which travelled to Reykjavik, Iceland, were: Charlotte Conn, Newry; Peter Harper, Dundrum, Dublin; Andrew McDonagh, Belfast; Oliver Nash, Rathgar, Dublin; and Ben O'Leary, Dublin.
Other members of the biology team were: Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, Clonsilla, Co Dublin, and Colm McCarthy, Douglas, Co Cork. The informatics team, which leaves for Setubal, Portugal, in early September is Robert Beattie, Belfast; James Martin, Ennis; Ciaran O Conaire, Dublin; and Oisin Suttle, Ranelagh.