GERARD JACKSON WINS YOUNG SCIENTIST WITH HIS BIRD STUDY
MARIST STUDENT WINS £500 AND 10-DAY TRIP TO PUERTO RICO FOR YOUNG SCIENTIST WORLD EVENT
DUNDALK students fare well in the Aer Lingus Young Scientists’ Exhibition.
Of 22 projects from the town, thirteen win prizes.
Gerard Jackson, a 5th year in the Marist, takes ‘Best Individual’ for ‘growth patterns among society finches’.
And, like the birds on which he based his project, the 16-year-old’s feet barely touch the ground since.
‘It was an unbelievable experience, to be cherished always,’ remarks the Greenacres teenager.
A posse of politicians and dignitaries line up to congratulate him and hear more about his project.
The excitement doesn’t end there.
His prize is £500 and a perpetual trophy, as well as a ten-day trip to Puerto Rico to represent Ireland in a young scientist world event.
Gerard will fly to New York, then Miami and on to the sunny island.
‘ The trip is sponsored by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and they have kindly offered to make available to me their staff and facilities.
‘In addition, the judges in the exhibition have also offered to help.’
To be judged the best individual project among the 422 entries at The RDS is a remarkable achievement, but fortunately for Gerard, he is able to base his project on his hobby, rearing finches.
For over six years, he has studied their breeding habits, and in so doing is able to complete a dossier which is invaluable in the preparation of his project.
‘ The birds are thought to have originated from species found in Japan and The Far East. Of course, society finches are so-called because they never lived wild, and are the oldest cage birds in the world,’ Gerard explains.
His observations on the 170 birds he keeps at home, lead to such interesting findings that he decides to submit a project.
‘I didn’t think that I had a chance, but last Friday, after the normal judging was complete, I suspected that I was in with a chance of a prize, when I was visited by nine judges in all, who asked me all types of questions.’
The pride of his parents, Gerry and Anne, is matched by the sense of achievement in St. Mary’s College.
Gerard’s is the only project from the school, and is the first major award won by Dundalk.
Other awards are won by Stephen Collins (De La Salle); Conor McCooey, John Keane (De La Salle); Sandra Charity, Sheila Curley, Mary McHugh ( Vocational School); Alan White, Ronan McKeown, Turlough O’Brien (De La Salle); Fionla Quinn (Dun Lughaidh); Caitriona Reilly, Niamh Conroy, Catherine McGinley (Dun Lughaidh); De La Salle (school award); Susan McGovern ( Vocational School), Sile Prendergast (De La Salle), Thomas Doherty (Marist), teacher awards; John McKeever, Conor Morgan, Mel Rogers (De La Salle).
Dundalk results are the best achieved by any town, according to sponsors, Aer Lingus, who say the results are ‘quite remarkable.’