Friday the 13th fails to spoil the day for young scientist
“Oh my God it’s such a shock,” said Aisling, a second-year student at Kinsale Community School, in Cork, as she took the top prize in the contest beating hundreds of older finalists.
Her study of how food spoils captured the judges’ attention for its brilliant simplicity and potential for everyday applications.
Aisling’s project, ‘The development and evaluation of a biological food spoilage indicator,’ was entered in the junior section of the biological and ecological sciences category.
The decision was announced by Education and Science Minister Mary Hanafin and Mike Maloney, chief operating officer of BT Ireland, at last night’s awards ceremony in the RDS, Dublin.
The judges described her project as “very impressive” and said it demonstrated a “creative use of experimental biology, together with a novel use of technology”.
With Aisling’s parents Eamon and Maureen watching proudly, Ms Hanafin, accompanied by Mike Maloney, presented Aisling with a cheque for €5,000, a Waterford Crystal trophy and the opportunity to represent Ireland at the European Union contest for Young Scientists in Sweden next September.
A younger brother of Sarah Flannery, the 1999 Young Scientist of the Year, also received a major award. Eamonn Flannery, a student at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Blarney, Co Cork, took first prize in the junior individual section in chemical, physical and mathematical sciences for his project - Games and the mathematics they can teach us.
The award for individual runner-up went to Gohar Abbasi from Synge Street CBS in Dublin and the best group was named as Keith Florea, Adrian Chisa and Sandeep Sihag, also from Synge Street CBS.
The runner-up group award went to Tara McGrath, Vanessa McGrath and Nicola Woodgate from Presentation Secondary School, Loughboy, Co Kilkenny.
