Irish International Science Olympiads Medal Winners
23 July 2003

Two Irish students won medals at the 2003 International Biology and Chemistry Olympiads. Paul Webster, the High School, Zion Rd., Rathgar, Dublin won a bronze medal at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in Minsk, Belarus. Sharon Stapleton and Liz Touhy of the Biotechnology Department DCU tutored him and the other Irish IBO team members prior to the event. Lauren Rutherford, Foyle & Londonderry College, Derry who was tutored by the staff of the Chemistry Department was equally successful at the IChO in Athens, Greece. Stephen McCann, St. Colman's College, Newry, Co. Down was also awarded a Certificate of Distinction in the same event.

Dr. Paraic James, from the chemical sciences, was elected the European representative on the Management Board of the IChO for the next three years. Dr. James has been the Irish IChO team leader for the past seven years.

The International Physics Olympiad and the International Olympiad in Informatics will take place in August. Dr. Eilish Mc Loughlin in charge of the IPhO team and 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 Olympiad. 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@dcu.ie