Young scientists' interests range from shellfish to satellites By Dick Grogan, Environment Correspondent EXTREME youth and outstanding merit seem to go hand in hand at this year 's Young Scientists' Exhibition where, on a preview yesterday, the most impressive proj ect I encountered was a survey of shellfish and pollution by a 12-year-old.
Greenhills, Dublin , investigated pollution of the Dodder and Poddle rivers. The girls, Loretta Dignam, Linda Byrne and Marion Cullen, collected speci mens of water and insects from the rivers. They concluded that while the Dodder is not¦ too badly polluted at present, "the Poddle is definitely polluted , especially around the Kimmage area , where it showed a definite acid condition ". The girls add some sharp social comment: "We think this area is beyond saving. It is a pity this river was so neglected by the powers-that-be, as it could have been a picteuresque sight in this densely populated area ". In senior biology, Michael Power, of Oatlands College, Mount Merrion, Co. Dublin, inquired into the effects of negatively ionised air on the growth of plants. He found that air charged electrically in this manner has different effects upon different plants, and while it does not assist germination , it does help the overall growth of plants. Fourteen-year-old Tara Buckley, of the Sacred Heart Convent, Mount Anville, Dundrum , Dublin, carried out a survey, of 250 people to find out if viewing television affected their eyes. She circulated a questionnaire, and drew graphs of the assembled answers. She found that 152 people claimed no effects whatever, but 41 others had_ headaches after viewing, 36 complained of itching eyes, and 18 people suffered both. Tara feels that one of the reason s for the problem is that many people sit too dose to the television set while watching programmes.
Dillane, who insisted John modestly : "My small brother , Peter (aged 11), did the donkey work ,'* presents his study with an expertise and grasp of research technique which would probably do credit to many a university biologist. John, a first-year pupil at the Vocational School , Rathdowney, Co. Laois, set out to survey the quantity and quality of shellfish on a part of the Shannon Estuary where he spends two mouths' summer holidays every year. He did a pollution survey of the estuary waters in the area in 1974. and then "1 became interested in the different species I identifying found ,1* he says. John was particularly fascinated by the sea-snails he saw, and having .read up a good deal about the sea , he continued his field work wheat he went back to the area , near B allylongford , in 1975. He says that he could find no records of shellfish, or of previous pollution surveys , for the Shannon Estuary . SAMPLES COLLECTED
With his younger brother, he collected samples of the various shellfish , with particular emphasis on the periwinkles. He studied their weight and meat content, and concentrated particularly on one area where whey pollution from cheese manufacturing affected the estuary. Most of the periwinkles there thrived on the whey pollution , and grew fat on it. But one particular species, Littorina Saxatilis , was missing entirely from this area — although it could be found only a hundred yards away. On his stand at the exhibition in the R.D.S., John displays neatlymounted examples of all the shellfish and bottled examples of their meat. He hopes to. study the effects of whey pollution on Littorina Saxatilis in more detail, and his accumulated expertise on periwinkles in the Shannon estuary has economic implications, too, for these shellfish make up to £7 a cwt. for local pickers. A competitor that John has to reckon with in ffte junior biology category is 14-year-old Jervis A. Good, from Midleton College, Midleton. Co. Cork. INSECT STUDY
Jervis chose an aspect of his local environment and studied it methodically and intelligently—an approach which seems to me what the Young Scientist competition is really all about. He investigated the insect fauna of a sheltered bog on Bis father 's farm near Kinsale. On this special type of lowland > og, Jervis found and identified 73 Species of insects and he studied the pirds and animals that prey on them — In other words, he demonUrated the role of the insect life »f the bog in regard to the ecological balance of this particular habiftat. On his stand he displays an ex:ellentry mounted collection of the I nsect specimens, with a neatly ypewritten explanation of his work. He went on to compare his findngs with those in two other sheltered bogs, to see if the one he Studied fitted into the typical pattern for such places. Entomology, he admitted, Is his hobby, and he hopes to do a degree tn science. Yet another junior biology entry (truck me with its simplicity and yet Its potential economic and scien-
2,000 INTERVIEWED
David Pollard , Drimnagh Castle, C.B.S., Dublin. Project. — "Har nessing tidal energy ." tific importance. This was the study by 15-year-old Thomas G. Butler , a student at St. Peter's College, Wexford , of seaweed as a fertiliser. In the garden of his home at Rosslare Harbour , Thom as so wed grass seed in 21 different sections, each of one square metre . He used chopped seaweed and artificial fertilisers on different sections in tur n , and after 30 days ' growth he measured the height of the young grass to establish by statistical methods if there was a significant difference between the sections. After 60 days, Thomas cut the grass, weighed it and compared the yields to see if there was a difference between the grass nourished on seaweed and that on which artificial fertiliser was used. He concluded that while seaweed is not as good a fertiliser as calcium or ammonium nitrate , it nevertheless increases the yield by nearly 100 % over what could be expected if no fertiliser at all was used. A Northern Ireland entrant, Noleen Doherty, aged 15, of St. Mary 's Secondary School , Limavady . Co. Derry . submitted an im-
pressive study of sand-wave formation. She built a wind tunnel and demonstrated how waves are for med in sand and dunes build up, and she followed up with field studies on Magilligan Strand. GOLF LAWS In the j unior mathematics sectio n , Patrick L. Culliton, of Rosmini College, Dru m cond r a , has the answere to most golfers' dreams. He has applied mathematics to the game and shows how logical laws govern every drive and every flight of the golf ball. There is the usual selection of electronic wizardry in the physics and engineering category. Mark Dargan, of St. Vincent's College, Castleknock , Co. Dublin, displays the equipment with which he has received and processed pictures from weather satellites orbiting the earth. RI VER POLLU TION Stephen Rooke, of Midleton Col* lege , Co. Cork , also in the senior physics section, exhibits the homemade computer which he built, and Jackie Miley, of St. Louis High School, Rathmines, demonstrates how she investigated whether the uniform orientation of old churches in this country might have been achieved with the aid of magnetic compasses—she concludes otherwise, however. In a group project , three girls of School, St. Paul's Secondary
The controversial question of whether or not an oil refinery should be sited in Dublin port was tackled by two students of Ringsend Technical Institute in their group project. David Turner and Walter Pettigrew, both aged 15, asked 2,000 people living at points all round Dublin Bay, and at other parts of the city, if they were for or against the proposed refinery project . Ov er all , they found a 51% respon se against the project, while 26 % were for it, and more than 22% did not have any opinion. In their home area, Ringsend, 32% of the people surveyed supported the project, and 52% opposed it. An excellent project in senior chemistry is that of Thomas G. Barry, aged 17, of the Vocational School, Ennis, Co. Clare. His project — to determine whether the minerals in the famous Lisdoonvarna spa water could be extracted economically for industrial use—would seem to be an obvious idea, but Thomas says that no attention was paid to this question up to now. Thomas found that the minerals —magnesium, copper , sulphur and iron — could be extracted by a technique called ion exchange, and with the help of scientists at U.C.G. he determined the concentration of the minerals. ' He concluded that the levels of iron and magnesium , in particular, were very ' high, in comparison, for exa m pl e, with sea water, and he is convinced that the extraction process would be industrially worthwhile. The study of wildlife on Broadlough , Co. Wicklow, by Michael J. Carton, of Wicklow Vocational School, seemed very polished , and there are numerous other exhibits which examine in fascinating ways the country 's wildlife. There are , of cou rs e, lots of the usual more light-hearted projects— on spiders and phobias, on skin care and teenage trends. The evils of smoking and drinking are well surveyed , and many young budding sociologists have studied the shopping, or housing, or open space patterns in their neighbourhoods. Mo"re than one young competitor has attempted to harness alternative energy sources , such as wind or waves, and we will have to wait for the jud ges' verdict this afternoon on whether or not any of these are more plausible than their predecessors* efforts in previous years. The judges, in fact, will make their final assessment this morning before deciding on the premier awards , but no matter who pains the titles and the fame, the exhibi tion as a whole will provide entertainment, ideas and intellectual stimulation for thousands , youn? and old, throughout this week-end.
Scientists shun mathematics There will be disappointment In the Young Scientists Exhibition for those in charge of mathematics education in our schools. The subj ect, once a very popular category for competitors in the exhibition , has declined to what must be an alltime low point. In the junior mathematics section, there are only five three entrants, representing schools, while in senior mathematics eight of the ten entries come from the same school— Laurel Hill, F.C.J. Convent, Limerick.
Mark Dargan , St. Vincent's College, Castleknock, Co. Dublin. Project —" Reception, display and pro cessing of satellite weather p ictures "
Michael Bowe, of Co. Kilkenny. Proje ct — "Pigeons and doves: a detailed story."
Photographs by TOM LAWLOR
Deirdre Foxj Maryf ield College, Drumcondra , Dublin. Project —" How big is a drop of water?,"'
Stephen Rooke, Middleton Colleg e, Co. Clare.
Project —" The computer and its future."
' ":
Growing up with problems of our time and getting to grips with them
MANY OF THE most serious students taking part in the Young Scientists' Exhibition at the Royal Dublin Society's premises have come to grips with the problems of their own place and of their own time; how to build up a fish farming industry among barren islands of Connemara, how to handle sewage pollution in west Belfast, how to fight the frustration and disillusionment of graduating fr om school to the dole.
Nor a Ni Chon ghail e, of Scoill Chuimsitheach Chiarain, an Cheathru Rua , studied the potential of Cuan an Mhuilinn near her home in Leitir M6r for mussel farming. She found that biologically the bay could support at least a moderate industry. Then she worked out how best a group of , say , 10 fishermen could run the farm. Their principal expense would be a 30-foot halfdecker. An investment of £20,000 in a mussel farm could , she considered, produce an income of £5,000. Inion Ni Chonghdile hopes to go to University College, Galwny, and her ambition is to work in the marine research laboratory at Carna. I encountered only two projects presented in Irish at the exhibition; hers was one of them. FEEDING OYSTERS
Marine farming was also chosen by Ned Phillips, of Midleton College, Co. Cork . His particular interest was oyster culture and he showed me a tank in which an idea from America was being tested. Treated sewage rich in nitrates and phosphates could grow marine algae which could feed oyster seedlings. The benefits were twofold: the water was cleaned and the oysters were produced economically. Oysters produced in this way at Long Island, he said, were sold in high-class restaurants in New York. Irish waters are rich in nutrients carried by trans-Atlantic currents and by currents from the north as well as by Irish rivers, so our coast , he maintained , was well suited, to aquaculture. CHANGE AT LAKE
Tony Donohue, of the Cistercian studied recent changes in Lough Derg in the Shannon. "Peat silt f rom Bord na M6na bogs is definitely affecting the fauna of Lough Derg," he explained. One of the saddest changes is the disappearing trout . Their spawning areas and the food for their young are being destroyed. Since 1928 the quantity of trout caught per hundred anglers in the lake has declined from 640 lb. to five Ib. He concluded that peat silt was the culprit because he tested the water for cow slurries, silage jui ce and industrial waste and all these were negative. He took depth measures in spawning areas and found a difference of five feet between 1959 and 1975. The silt reduces the quantity of oxygen in the water and this kills the larvae of flies like the mayfly, he continued. This was an important reason for the decline in trout . He had carried out experiments which showed that peat silt increased plant life. There was a great in cr ease in the lak e's reeds and rushes and this, in turn , changed its animal life. Perch increased because the new kind of habitat suited them better, he said, and they were dominant at the moment. • They spawned among reeds and now had more places to lay eggs. They ate some trout, but also other species which were increasing like water lice and the larvae of certain insects. Bream were also increasing because they lived on algae which were increasing due to the peat silt. ALTERED HABITS The new habitat suits ducks but they are less numerous than before because they are over-shot by sportsmen. Cormorants which eat mainly coarse fish like perch have increased to the point that they have become a pest. Mute swans, water hens and coots who nest in rushes and eat plants have increased too. The otter . has had to change his habits. He usually hunts by sight Coll ege, Roscrea ,
Patricia Howe and Adnanna O Donnell, St. Paul' s Secondary School, Greenhills , Dublin. Project —" The behavioural pattern of the Africa n migratory locust." in clear water, and the reeds and the murkiness of the water prevent that, but otter numbers have remained about the same because this was counterbalanced as the coarse fish and eels which he eats increased. Kingfishers have become almost, extinct—they feed on young trout and on mayfly and dragonfly larvae. Tony showed me a tank containing caddis fly larvae, some species of snails and dark darting freshwater shrimps. This boy. who seemed to me to have a marvellous maste ry of his subj ect , told me that he would love to become a zoologist. Raymond Brett, of Waterpark College, Waterford , had fo un d that by adding oxygen it was possible to improve the performance of the pet rol engine. The oxygen decreased f uel consumption and made for a cleaner and smoother-running engine, which meant longer engine lif e. "I leaked oxyg en into the air intake. It is fairly simple," he said. "The bogey is that oxygen is expensive. Increased demand could change that by reducing production costs and increases in petrol price could raise demand." His idea was to ration the oxygen, to feed it in automatically at times when the engine was under strain, going uphill for example. Siobhan Staunton , of St. Do m inic's, Falls Road , presented a study of river pollution in Belfast. The Blackstaff River , she found , was very bad. "It is notorious. It is always overflowing. The sewers overflow when they are half or three-quarters full and untreated sewage goes into the river. At times they overflow almost daily." She showed me a map showing SO overflow points around Ligoniel and the Shankill and near the Royal Victoria Hospital at th e confluence of the Ligoniel River and the Blackstaff . She also showed me some revolting photographs taken at the back of the Falls Road. "There are four rats ' nests within a hundred
y ards there. Children play there. It is abominable," she said. What should be done? "Any improvement would require a great deal of money. I don't think they will do anything about it. The man I "spoke to in the sewage department seemed to tJaink the Belfast sewage syste m was extremely good. " Miss Staunton added that most of the pollution was from domestic sewers. STUDYING R ODENTS
Marie Hayes, aged 12 , of St. Mary 's Dominican Convent, Dun Laoghaire, studied different varieties of rodents and displayed a hamster in a cage covered by a wool shawl. This was to keep the light off because he was an albino who could see well only at night, she said. Animals were more prone to disease than humans or plants, she explained , because they had not a reinforced cell wall. She assured me that the hamster was well provided with food and water. She showed me the little treadmill on which he takes exercise by night, but he himself was invisible. Marie told me that he was resting, hidden in his nest of paper. Martin McGinn, also aged 12, of Templeogue College, Dublin, had a container of clay which was being improved by earthworms. "This soil is bad and their excretion will make it good. Nephridia let out nitrogenous excretion. They also let air and moisture into the soil in their burrows. They do not have a nest, they travel all the time, eating as they go along. They let out their cocoon. There are a few eggs in the cocoon. The egg that cracks first—the worm who comes out of the first egg will eat all the others ," he said. His container was covered by a black cloth. "Earthworms have a small brain, but I have a funny feeling that they can sense day and night. They have qui te a good memory, " Martin said. Sed O Se, of Cola«ste Mhuire, Dubl in, whose project was in Irish,
had found that there were three times more bacteria in fresh milk than in pasteurised milk. He thought they were more active as well as more numerous. These bacteria could carry diseases like salmonella, diarrhoea and enteritis. He told me of the terrible shortage of textbooks in Irish. He would like to go to University College, Galway, to study science through Irish, but there were not so many facili ties there for certain kinds of work, so he was afraid • that he might have to go to some other university where he would have to turn to working through English. FRUITS OF UNEMPLOYMENT Unemployment and its evil fruit — frustration , mental illness, excessive drinking — was the subj ect chosen by at least three girls. "From School to the Dole" was the cheerless heading on the disr play of Deirdre McHugh, of the Dominican College, Muckross Park , Dublin. She thought of it, she said, because many of her friends had done their Leaving Certificate and could not fin d jobs. She wanted to find out what her own prospects were, but on that she had reached no conclusion . "The Government must do something in a hurry be? fore June , when they will have another batch of school-leavers. The system of education should be geared more towards jobs. It should be more realistic," she declared. She considered that the psychological har m caused to schoolleavers by unemployment was worse than the financial harm —the disllusionment and frustration . The damage could be irreparable , and the problem would be multiplied in 1976. Dorreen McMahon, of Our Lady's Grove , Goatstown , Dublin , who investigated addiction , found that young people who had lost hope of finding work were turning to drink. Smoking, drinking, and drug-taking were increasing. Young people had nowhere to meet except in pubs and you would need great willpower not to drink. "If everyone drinks and you don 't , you are a bit queer. Young people feel that if they do not drink their friends will drop them. " Josephine McCusker, of the Loreto Convent, Letterkenny, who se subje ct was the value and goodness of mental health, told me that lack of jobs and bad jobs were defi nitely increasing mental illness in Donegal. They were also causing the break-up of many homes, she said. She did most of her work for the project in St. ConaPs Hospital, Letterkenny, where she goes to sing for the patients. She thought that the patients should go out more and that more, young people should go in to the hospital to visit them. "If we couldtake them out to games — we like speaking to them. They come out to the convent for parties and they look forward to that, but not many of th e students go in to the hospital. " A lot of the old people in the hospital were Irish speakers, she continued , but no one thought of going in to learn from them. ASTROLOGY Many of the young people at the exhibition were attracted to a little piece of rock like a cinder: from Taurus Littrow Valley of the Moon (presented to the Irish, people by Presid ent Nixon), but- a number expressed their scorn of a display — unmanned at the time I inspected it — on astrology. A group of youths looked at the signs of the Zodiac on the stand and dismissed the whole thing, declaring: "That is not science at all."
J homas Bar ry, Vocational School, Ennisk Co. Clare. Proje ct—" A quantitative analysis of the mineral waters of ' : ' Lisdoonvarna." '.:-: