Primo gives young scientists a look at the future

THE appliance of science is still alive and well in our schools, judging by the number of entries for this year’s Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition.

More than 2,500 students from 30 counties have submitted 910 projects for the competition finals at the RDS from January 7 to 11.

This compares to 774 projects entered last year.

Education Minister Noel Dempsey said the level of interest was very encouraging news.

“It is a welcome boost to hear these figures, and I am looking forward to opening the exhibition,” Mr Dempsey added.

Yesterday, schoolchildren at John Scottus Junior School, Dublin, got a glimpse of the shape of things to come when Primo the Robot met 13-year-old Vincent Grace, who was busy working on a robotic firefighter and Roisin Kiberd, 13, who has opted for a psychology project.

Sponsors of the event, Esat BT, said the increase in numbers showed that it really was a huge personal achievement for those students who have been successful in gaining a place in the finals.

Marketing director Michael Kennedy said the exhibition allowed students to experience and develop science and technology in a way that was informative and entertaining and hoped to encourage these second-level students to consider science and technology subjects as a third-level option.

The 18% increase in project numbers comes as efforts are made to increase interest among teenagers in science subjects.

A primary school science curriculum will be introduced from next September as part of the Government-backed initiative. The aim is to increase the number and standard of science and technology graduates to promote investment in Ireland.

While the emphasis of the Government strategy is on the physical sciences, more than one-third of the 500 projects short-listed for the finals are in the Social and Behavioural Sciences category.

However, the next biggest entry comes from 145

projects on biological and ecological sciences, followed by 99 with chemical, physical and mathematical sciences projects.

The Young Scientist Exhibition is open to exhibiting students from January 7 and will welcome the public from January 9.