THIRTY lucky fourth year pupils from St Columba's College in Stranorlar, Co Donegal, flew to Frankfurt in Germany last week, for a week long educational tour sponsored by the European Chemical Industry Council.
The class won first prize in the council's secondary school science competition for their survey and analysis of asthma sufferers in their own school and in the Carndonagh Community School in the Inishowen Peninsula.
St Columba's Principal, Brian McAuley, commented: "We were amazed when we won it". When he heard that the class were on the shortlist for the prize, his was a reaction of disbelief for they had beaten 120 other entries from 9 European Countries.
St Columba's entry to the competition was kick started through the success of Kim McFadden and Shane McMenamin, who entered the Young Scientist Awards this year also with an asthma project - and came second in the social and behavioural science category.
The whole class then became involved in a more intensive asthma analysis, under the guidance of their science teacher, Ann Burke. Kim McFadden is full of praise for her. "She makes it interesting for us. She's not boring anyhow."
The project concentrated in the initial survey "upon age, medication, genetic background and the fact that asthma tends to skip a generation," says McMenamin.
The Carndonagh school was chosen because of its location on the coast which gave a good contrast to St Columba's, which is situated in Finn Valley.
McMenamin was surprised to find that Carndonagh had a higher rate of asthma, having suspected that air quality in a coastal area would be better.
The class used information supplied by Norton's, the pharmaceutical manufacturers in Waterford, and also used medical publications to find out what was happening in the mainstream asthma treatment industry.
Before the class's departure to Germany last week, Burke and her two most prolific students attended a presentation hosted by the Irish Pharmaceutical and Chemical Manufacturers Federation, which is also associated with the award.
The group's technical director, Dr Clive Cathcart, highlighted their concern at the fall in numbers of those pursuing science here, both at school and as a career.
"We have a vested interest in the whole issue of a continued supply of good scientists," he explained. This is a major reason for the group's involvement with the award scheme which began last year.
Congratulating St Columba's, Minister for Education, Niamh Bhreathnach, who also attended the function, said she hoped that forthcoming changes in the school curriculum would make the science option more attractive to students.
