'Science is the real deal'

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

What about these two questions:

1, Where theoretically, are objects squeezed to an infinite density?

2, What is the name of the unit of energy used in nuclear physics?

More anon.

On Saturday November 25 I went along to the Trinity College Biomedical Sciences Institute building on Dublin’s Pearse Street to attend the national final of the Irish Science Teachers' Association Senior Science Quiz.

The regional rounds took place in 14 venues during National Science Week.

One-hundred-and-fifty final year post-primary students gathered in the Trinity College building to vie for the top prize.

Each team was made up of three students.

I was there because a team from Meán Scoil Nua an Leith Triúigh, Castelgregory, Co. Kerry had won a place in the finals. I spent a number of years teaching in the school. I know a brother and a cousin of two of the team and also I taught with one of the science teachers, who brought it to my attention.

It was the 25th anniversary of the quiz, which was started by the late Dr Shea Mullally.

To start the ball rolling Professor Luke O'Neill of the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College gave a feisty and humorous introduction to the event. He gave an outline of what happens at the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, how they are involved in medical research and ‘cracking diseases’. It was clear the man was excited about the project housed in this €120 million tax-funded building.

“On any given day there are 1,043 undergraduates in the building and in the last four years 136 students have obtained PhDs.”

He went on to tell the students: “Science is the real deal. Humanities are boring. Don’t work for a crappy bank, come, do science. Join us and be a scientist. The best thing you can do.”

An impressive man. You could hear a pin drop as he spoke. And all this as the students were about to begin the quiz.

There were eight rounds with six questions in each round. Dr Jennifer Cleary of the RTE Insiders’ programme asked the questions.

It was simply fascinating to sit there and watch proceedings.

It was all way above my head but I did get some idea of how incredibly knowledgeable the students were. The attitude, the atmosphere in this large lecture hall was so impressive. The students meant business, they were there to win. But there was far more to it than that. They had gathered in the name of knowledge, fun too and of course they wanted to bring back a prize to their school.

These young people were away from their own familiar places and yet here they were at home in a lofty university environment. For many of them it may have been their first time in the building, their first time inside a university.

To pick the winning team it went to a tie breaker. In many ways it was similar to a penalty shoot-out at one of those international soccer games.

The overall winners on the day were the team from Coláiste Chríost Rí in Cork.

‘My’ team did not win. It’s a small 138-pupil school. They did the school proud, as did every team there on that Saturday.

Besides their knowledge, skills and intelligence there was such a sense of simple good manners and fun about the day.

The answer to question one above is the black hole, and electron volt is the name of the unit of energy used in nuclear physics.

An impressive afternoon. The future of Ireland is in safe hands with these young people.