Winner of AccesScience '09, Orlaith Burke, UCD School of Mathematical Science
UCD research graduate Órlaith Burke has received first prize in the UCD Conway Institute AccesScience '09 competition, which challenges PhD students to explain their scientific research to a lay audience, without using any jargon. Órlaith impressed the judging panel with an explanation of her research into accurately measuring indoor radon concentrations in Irish homes, schools and offices.
Although harmless in the open air, radon can seep up through the soil into buildings causing dangerous levels to become trapped indoors; this can result in diseases such as lung cancer. Radon emissions vary widely with the seasons making accurate risk assessment difficult. Órlaith Burke from the UCD School of Mathematical Sciences is trying to find statistical ways to take seasonal variations into account and find true measures of this radioactive gas.
Sabrina Devereux won the audience vote and second place for presenting her research on finding ways to deal with the 91,000 tonnes of solid waste generated from prepared potatoes in Ireland every year.
Minister of State for Science, Technology & Innovation Dr Jimmy Devins, TD, officiated at the awards ceremony. Commenting on the merit of the AccesScience competition that encourages scientists to communicate with the general public on their work and its potential societal benefits, he said: 'Scientific advance depends, not only on exacting experimental work but also on the ability of the scientist to communicate those findings in a meaningful way to an ever-widening audience.'
In addition to encouraging graduate students to develop their communication skills, AccesScience also promotes engagement with science by primary and secondary level pupils. Minister Devins commented: “Encouraging more students to choose science subjects at second and third level, is a vitally important part of our national strategy to support competitiveness and employment”.
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