International Physics Medal Winner
18 August 2003

Michael White, Dr. Eilish Mc Loughlin and Eoin Butler

Dr. Eilish Mc Loughlin and her colleagues in the School of Physical Sciences, DCU prepared the Irish team for participation in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) which was held in Taipei, Taiwan from 2nd to 12th August 2003. Their efforts were rewarded with a bronze medal won by Michael White (Cork) and an honourable mention certificate awarded to Eoin Butler (Kilkenny). Of the nine EU countries taking part in the 2003 IPhO this was joint second place after Germany. In all fifty-four countries sent teams. To date Irish physics students have been awarded three bronze medals and three certificates of honourable mention since first participating in the 1998 IPhO under the leadership of Dr. Enda Mc Glynn.

These two students together with Jennifer Scott (Belfast) and Barry O Mahony (Cork) were medal winners at the IBM/DCU Irish science Olympiad held in DCU on December 7th 2002. (http://iso.dcu.ie). Eoin Butler also won a silver medal at the first European Union Science Olympiad (EUSO) held in DCU from the 6th -13th April 2003. (http://www.euso.dcu.ie)

Already this year Professor Richard O Kennedy and his colleagues in Biotechnology have trained the biology team, one of whom won a bronze medal at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in Minsk, Belarus. This brings to ten the number of medals won by Irish biology students at the IBO since Ireland first participated in the 1998 IBO under the leadership of Professor O Kennedy.

Dr. Paraic James and his colleagues in Chemical Sciences trained the chemistry team, one of whom won a bronze medal at the IChO in Athens, Greece. Irish chemistry students have now won nine IChO medals, including one silver medal since first participating in 1997. The first Irish IChO medal winner, Noel O Boyle (Mayo) is completing his PhD with Professor Han Vos.

The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) will take place in August 16th to 23rd in Wisconsin, USA. Charlie Daly and Ciarán O Connaire have responsibility for the IOI team.

The medal winners at the International Science Olympiads will be awarded IBM University Scholarships in September.

All science students attending second level schools are eligible to represent Ireland at the International Science Olympiads. In October each year the Head Science Teachers in each Post-Primary School in the Republic and in Northern Ireland are asked by the Director of the Irish Science Olympiad, Michael A. Cotter to nominate their best students in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Programming and Physics. These students are expected to get an A1 in the science subjects chosen in the Leaving Certificate or A Level examination.

These selected students are invited to take part in a one-day IBM/DCU Irish Science Olympiad in DCU on the first Saturday in December. Certificates are given to all participants. The overall winners in each discipline are presented with the Perpetual Challenge Trophies and medals are awarded to the top eight students in each category.

A panel of twelve students in each science is chosen. These students are given tasks of International Science Olympiad standard during the school year and a final examination is held in May to select the four/five person Irish International Olympiad teams to represent Ireland at the International Science Olympiads in July/August.

Prior to their departure to the Internationals the students take part in a weeklong intensive residential training programme devised by the academic staff of the DCU Science faculty and the School of Computing.

Contact:
Michael A. Cotter, Director,
Irish Science Olympiad,
E-mail michael.cotter