Cork secondary students win prestigious prize for creating eco packaging made from seaweed
The competition, now in its 21st year, offers students from seven Cork-based secondary schools an opportunity to shine a light on their STEM expertise and ingenuity in a rewarding, exciting and fun environment.
Teams of students from St Mary's High School in Midleton, St. Aloysius' College in Carrigtwohill, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál in Blarney, Midleton CBS, Coláiste Fionnchua in Mitchelstown, Loreto Secondary School in Fermoy and Midleton College participated in this year's Merck Schools Science Competition.
Ms Hayes and Ms Dineen said they were 'honoured' to win the competition.
"We are incredibly honoured to be chosen as the winners of this year's Merck Schools Science Competition.
'Taking part in this competition has been really engaging and opened our eyes to the exciting possibilities within the STEM fields.
'I want to thank our school and Merck for providing this amazing opportunity, for guiding us along the way, and allowing us to explore our curiosity,' they said.
Merck aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and innovators, cultivate interest in STEM through this competition while continuing to encourage students to explore future careers in these critically important fields.
Mark Dunphy, Site Director and Head of Cork Operations at Merck said:
'At Merck, we firmly believe in the power of STEM education to shape the future.
'By offering students the opportunity to practically apply their scientific knowledge, this competition is instrumental in sparking an interest in STEM careers and nurturing those who will spearhead the scientific breakthroughs of the future,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Agriland
2 days ago
- Agriland
What are the risks to the Irish agri-environment from the Asian hornet?
Following confirmation of the presence of an Asian Hornet in Ireland by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Sussex-based scientist Norman Carreck - who has kept bees since the age of 15 - told us what complications an invasion of the insects would bring to Ireland. Carreck said beekeepers in Ireland will be rightfully concerned by the recent discovery, as these hornets do enjoy eating honeybees. However, the scientist warned that the hornets can have a wider impact on the Irish environment. The scientist described them as a very opportunistic species who eat all sots of insects, and - similar to wasps - enjoy attacking fruits which grow in Ireland, such as blueberries and strawberries. Their feeding habits can cause quite large economic losses to farmers and growers. He also stated that there is a strong public health risk, mostly because hornets nest in places where humans are more likely to disturb their nest. Carreck explained how the species is not individually more aggressive than European hornets or wasps, but warned if you stir up a nest there is a good chance of being stung. He also cited hornet-related fatalities in France and Spain. He urged the public to keep an eye out for the species saying they are quite distinct. Carreck said: "European hornets look a yellow brown colour while Asian hornets are black with yellow legs." When asked will these hornets do well in Ireland, Carreck said: "They are doing really well in warm places such northern Spain and France, but they are also doing reasonably well in northern Italy where it is quite cool, and in Belgium and The Netherlands, where the climate is not too different from Ireland, except drier." They do like good weather to establish, but even though their nest is made of paper and left out in weather, they are remarkably weather-proof, so even torrential rain won't destroy them." Carreck explained that it is possible Ireland's higher rainfall will make it a less habitable environment for the insects, though they have proved to be quite a robust species out of their natural environment.. However, the scientist said the difference in rainfall between the east and west of Ireland may mean the insects could enjoy the east. He added that he would not consider Cork too unsuitable for them. Carreck said that this invasive species can enter the country in many ways. While the Heritage Council's 2023 risk assessment highlighted the role of sentinel hives in importing the insects, the scientist highlighted that the Asian hornet does not need bees to get into Ireland. He said that there is many ways they can get to the island, and an individual queen can arrive though somebody's luggage, as well as fruit, vegetables, and other commodity shipments. Carreck said the most likely entry is through ports, noting that this week's sighting was in Cork, and the last sighting in 2021 was in Dublin, two cities with large ports. Despite this being a common entry point, the UK scientist said that these hornets are equally commonly found on lorries, and so could be found anywhere in the country. Carreck explained how having first appeared in Gloucestershire in 2016, the Asian hornet is now established in the extreme south-east corner of England - such as Kent and east Sussex - since 2022, despite the official government view being that they are not established. He added that originally, there was only one or two nests recorded, up to a max of four nests a year, with numbers falling during Covid-19 due to less cross-Channel traffic. However, he said in 2023, there was suddenly 75 nests in the year. While that figure fell sightly in 2024, this year looks set to beat the 2023 record, as 54 nest have already being confirmed as of last week. Tests by the UK national bee unit and associated lab showed some of this year's queens were offspring of last year, while others were grouped from nests that were not discovered. Carreck explained that the UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) bee inspectors have been trained to use cherry pickers to destroy the nests. He said it is still quite early in the season for nests to be spotted at the top of tall trees, as typically they go unnoticed until leaves fall. According to the scientists, as the hornets produce their offspring late in the season, inspectors have to race to the destroy any nests they discover before this point.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Irish Times
Climate scientists to receive €2.8m for flood future-proofing projects
Met Éireann has awarded €2.8 million in funding to projects aimed at making Ireland more flood resistant in the era of climate change . A warming climate will result in more severe coastal flooding while there will be an increase in winter flooding and more intense rainfall events, raising the risk of river flooding and flash floods. Climate scientists at Maynooth University have concluded that human-induced climate change was behind the flash flooding which effected the centre of Midleton, Co Cork, last October. The Valencia floods in Spain last year have also been blamed on climate change. The awards are being made via the Met Éireann Research Call 2024 to projects aimed at addressing climate change, extreme weather events and environmental sustainability. READ MORE The flood forecasting research project is aimed at improving understanding of how increased flooding affects river discharge, tides and storm surges. Three projects at University College Cork , two at the University of Galway and one at Maynooth University will receive the funding. Met Éireann's weather and climate research programme was launched in 2018 and has, to date, provided €10.3 million in research across Irish academic institutions. UCC vice-president for research and innovation Prof John Cryan said he was 'immensely proud' the university accounted for half the research projects. Dr Páraic Ryan will received €600,000 to research how to build resilience for future extreme events examining the likes of Storm Ophelia and the impact it had on Ireland. Dr Paul Holloway will receive €300,000 for climate services for multi-sector benefits and the same amount has been awarded to Dr Vahid Aryanpur for climate-informed plans to support Ireland's net-zero ambitions. Dr Paul Nolan of the University of Galway will receive €600,000 for analysing global climate model data and how to might pertain to Ireland. University of Galway scientist Dr Indiana Olbert will receive €400,000 for modelling an integrated multi-model, multi-hazard flood forecasting system. Prof Conor Murphy of Maynooth University will receive €600,000 to research extremes across climates and time frames.
Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Asian hornet: The invasive insect that could give Ireland a buzz we don't want
Following the confirmation that an Asian hornet had been found in Dublin in 2021, Cork (of course) has now got its own hornet, found in a beer garden (of course) in the city this week. So what's the story? The Asian hornet, Vespa velutina, is a large predatory wasp, larger than the common yellowjacket of summer picnic fame, but smaller than the European hornet. Its diet consists of foods rich in protein and carbohydrate, such as other insects, pollen, fruit and even carrion. One of the reasons that there is such alarm at the spread of this invasive species in Europe is that it is a fierce predator of domestic honeybees, as well as pollinating insects. Although it can give a potentially painful sting, the Asian hornet is not particularly aggressive and poses only a minor risk to people and domestic animals, although fatalities are known (but very rare) from Asian hornet stings. Its native range is Central and Eastern Asia, but it has become established in Europe since 2004, when a single fertilised queen arrived in France hiding in a shipment of pottery from China. From this single accidental introduction, the Asian hornet has spread throughout much of western Europe and its population is now thought to number in the many millions. Asian hornets mate in late summer, and fertilized queens from a nest will disperse into the wider landscape in autumn looking for well-insulated nooks and crannies to hibernate in over the cold winter months, such as under the bark of trees, in small cavities – and ceramic pots! When these solitary queens emerge from hibernation in early spring, they seek to build small, primary nests in warm, sheltered places such as old abandoned buildings. As the number of worker hornets from this primary nest grows, the queen may build a secondary nest outside, such as the tops of tall trees, and this then may number many thousands of individuals, where the main job of the nest is to produce new males and queen hornets. Worker hornets are very active in summer searching for food and can easily find their way into lorries transporting fruit and vegetables. They are also commonly found around campsites in France, attracted by the volumes of discarded food and overflowing bins, and can hitch rides in amongst camping materials and in campervans. Asian hornets in Ireland The hornet in Cork most probably arrived on the ferry from northern France, via one of these routes. Fertilised queens - with the potential of establishing a population in a new area – tend to disperse in autumn looking for hibernation sites and so it is more likely that the specimen found in Cork recently was a sterile worker looking for food. The Asian hornet is a continental species and requires warm, dry summers to thrive. Migrant queens have arrived on multiple occasions into southern England from northern France, either in freight traffic or flying across the channel with wind-assistance. Although these queens can and do make small nests, it remains to be seen whether they will establish a permanent UK population. But could they do so here in Ireland? It is very likely that we will see more Asian hornets arriving in the country, brought here in vehicular traffic, and some climate projections show that Ireland is within the hornet's potential future range. The Irish climate is much more oceanic than that of southern English, and is typified by cool, wet summers and (relatively) warm wet winters. The lack of consistent warm summers in Ireland and the relative paucity of habitat and potential food - particularly in spring when queens emerge from hibernation and need sugar-rich food to begin making their primary nests – reduce (but not eliminate) the likelihood of the Asian hornet becoming a serious problem in Ireland in the future. Vigilance however is needed by drivers returning from the continent to prevent the Asian hornet from hitch-hiking its way to our shores. Although Irish beekeepers are well aware of the threat posed by Vespa velutina, and are constantly on the lookout, the public should keep their eyes open for the insect and report all potential sightings (with photos if possible) to the National Biodiversity Data Centre in Waterford. Even if they see them in beer gardens. Dr Simon Harrison is a lecturer at the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES), University College Cork
