The Judges

The eXhIBITIon

The JUDGes

The JUDGes

It takes the work of hundreds of people to make the annual BT Young scientist & Technology exhibition the success that it is, but there is one group in particular that deserves special mention – the judges. These 80 or more volunteers make the whole thing happen, encouraging students to deliver their best and helping them to realise their ambitions.

“The judges are fundamental to the event. They are the ones who by careful talking with the students and teasing out the value of their work, manage to find the most worthy projects for the main awards,” says Tony Scott, co-founder of the exhibition. “The winners of our all-island event do exceptionally well at the European Contest for Young Scientists, so our judges certainly must be doing something right,” he adds. He remembers the judging during the earliest days of the event. It happens in more or less the same way, although they now use a much better marking scheme and assessment methods to help get a more scientific result. In those days the organisers would assemble as many judges as there were projects but with a constantly growing number of applicants and more than 550 projects each year this is no longer possible. One aspect of judging has never changed however. “The one rule I make with judges is you may never talk down to the student, you must always make them feel you are interested in the project even if it isn’t of the highest order,” says Scott. “You must always leave the student with the feeling that they have done really well and their project was well done. We rely on the judges’ knowledge and professionalism and their ability to interact well with the young people.”

The process involves a great deal of time and care, and each project will be assessed by three judges. The first spends about 20 minutes with the student and this judge will give an initial score. A second judge will then talk to the student about their work and will give a second score that is kept separate from the first judge. The two scores are then discussed by the first two judges plus a third who listens to the arguments for and against the project. The third judge then visits the stand with all these comments in mind to help decide if the project should move forward for further judging.

For all the hard work, the exhibition is never short of volunteer judges. There is something special about the exhibition that makes them come back year after year.

You may offer your services but you have to be asked to participate, says long serving judge Sean Corish, a former professor of physical chemistry at Trinity College Dublin. “I have been judging for between 40 and 50 years. I was pretty young when I started,” he says. “You are asked every year, it is totally on a volunteer basis so no one just assumes they will be asked again.”

He is always ready to participate because of the fun he gets from it. “The buzz is amazing. The kids are not burdened by experience, they just fly into the thing and have great freedom to make mistakes. I enjoy their sheer exuberance and enthusiasm and the honesty with which they tackle the problem.”

Next January will be the 15th exhibition for veteran judge Leonard Hobbs, a director at Intel in Ireland. Even so he still feels like a newcomer to the exhibition. “I still regard myself a bit of a baby when compared to some of the others.” He too talks about the buzz created by the students. “I love it. It is really a high octane thing. You feel the buzz when the students come flooding in on the Wednesday and you realise that two and a half days later there will be a winner from amongst those coming through the doors. It changes their lives. There is something special about it.” He has an engineering degree and judges the technology section. “It is three full days so it is a major commitment for the judges, but people want to do it.”

John O’Halloran is also coming up on his 15th year as a judge and is on the biology panel. “I genuinely get energised about it. There is something very fresh and inspiring about it,” says the professor of zoology at University College Cork. “It is a privilege to be part of it, to listen to school students describe their work. You sense their enthusiasm, energy and commitment. There is something very special about them,” he says. Judges have to be good listeners and open minded to the fresh ideas developed in the student projects. “A judge should not be put off by an idea that they may find challenging.” Joe Barry, professor of population health medicine at Trinity has been a judge for 25 years. “The world has changed and the children have changed over the years,” he believes. “There were no mobile phones in the earlier days and communications were less available and dependent on the printed word. The thing that hasn’t changed is the huge energy of the children and the energy they give you.” A judge for the social and behavioural projects, he believes BT’s involvement with the exhibition has helped make it more student-centred now than in the past, giving the students a better experience.

“The Young Scientist is a national institution and it is nice to be associated with it. Certainly 50 years is a milestone and I think the exhibition will always be there.”

Judging panel 1965

Chairman

Dr. J.F. Dempsey, General Manager Aer Lingus – Irish International Airlines

Panel

Mr. F. Donovan, Sales Manager Aer Lingus – Irish International Airlines Dr. J. Duggan Agricultural Institute Mr. J. Fanning Department of Agriculture Dr. J.P. Hennessey Messrs. A. Guinness Son & Co Ltd.

Dr. D. Kehoe Irish Meat Packers

Mr. J.R. Leonard, Publicity Manager Aer Lingus – Irish International Airlines Dr. B. Miller University College, Dublin Mr. P. O’Doherty Telefis Eireann Miss G. Roche National Museum

Dr. B. Scaife Trinity College, Dublin Dr. Louis Smith University College, Dublin Mr. P. Start University College, Dublin Mr. J. Timoney University College, Dublin Mr. E. Toner Department of Lands Miss E. Twooney Department of Lands Dr. J. White University College, Dublin