Pupils’ successful science exploration

YOUNG scientists from a North Clare school have done it again after scooping four major prizes in a national competition.

Pupils from Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Lisdoonvarna beat off stiff competition to claim a number of top awards in the Northern Ireland Young Scientist competition, which was held in the Odyssey Arena in Belfast recently.

In addition to winning the senior category, fourth-year pupil, Aisling O’Rourke was also presented with the Society of Biology Award for the best biological project at the exhibition.

She was presented with two trophies and cheques totalling £225.

Her project looked at whether there are differences in the morphology of the leaf of Geranium sanguineum (Bloody Cranesbill) located in geographically separated areas.

She took three measurements, examining plants in the Burren and Aran Islands, she took measurements of the leaf, the top leaflet, the relationship between thickness, its width and height.

She found leaves were longer and narrower in exposed locations while a broader leaf was more prevalent in sheltered places.

Third-year pupil, Deirdre O’Connell won the intermediate section with her project, which studied computer and internet usage amongst North Clare adults. She received a trophy and a £100 cheque.

Second-year pupils, Rebecca O’Callaghan and Eala Mardell were presented with the JCP Consulting Award for the Built Environment. They received a trophy and a £125 cheque.

Having examined the feasibility of harvesting rainwater in North Clare, they showed households could use rainwater to replace some of the treated water entering their houses.

Two of the projects were given a gold CREST award, similar to the Gaisce award, two got silver and the rest were awarded bronze, illustrating the large number of hours worked.

Their teacher, John Sims was presented with the St Mary’s University College Belfast STEM Teachers’ Award for his work guiding pupils in the Northern Ireland Young Scientist competition over the past 10 years.
Six parents and teachers John O’Loughlin and John Sims accompanied the pupils.

Other entries included Ellen O’Loughlin and Claire Costello: do sea urchins risk being eaten by a predator to reach food?; Ross Duffy: how effective is a folacht fiadh in cooking food?; Myra McNamara and Eimear Thynne: has the sea an effect on the turloughs in North Clare?; Maghnus Hartigan and Ben Kenneally – The effects of geological substrates on the trophic state of lakes in North Clare; Katie Flanagan and Dílse Guerin, Factors affecting how slugs sense food; Órlaith Bowen and Martyna Buynowska, Does a predator affect the clumping behaviour of Mytilus edulis?; Keelan McMahon, Does the size of population of an area affect the ability of GAA clubs to win trophies? and David Sims, the occurrence and distribution of Ulva Lactuca and Enteromorpha intestinalis in relation to water quality.

The school won seven awards in the Irish Young Scientists competition including four SciFest awards and had two finalists in the Young Environmentalist Awards, 70 projects qualified for the final out of 300 and one of those got highly commended.

A number of former pupils, who competed in the Young Scientist competition have qualified with science degrees.

Contrary to the public perception, John Sims argues that science isn’t always particularly difficult.

“There are a lot of different fields in science – biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science. Science suits someone who is a good worker who is good at solving problems in a logical manner.

“Senior projects in the Young Scientists competition are up to the level of a thesis for a degree.

“We have been told this about some of our projects in the Young Scientists competition.

“We had a very successful year in the science field. A number of pupils have won Art and business competitions as well. We have a long list for next year’s Young Scientist competition, which will be my 25th year of involvement,” he said.

“Unless I had the support of my family, the school, science teacher, John O’Loughlin, and management and parents, these projects would not go ahead.

“Parents also make a big sacrifice as their children have to be brought into the school out of hours at evenings and weekends. A whole team of people are involved.

“It gives pupils self-belief that with a bit of hard work and planning, they can achieve the project.
When it comes to job interviews it is also a huge advantage to be able to show that pupils dedicated themselves to extra work,” he added.