Young Scientists Exhibition
Grandad January 7th, 2009
I see the Young Scientists has opened its doors for another year.
Believe it or not, I was an entrant once. Only once. Never again.
In those days it was the Aer Lingus Young Scientists Exhibition, and it was held in the Rotunda Room of the Mansion House.
I can’t remember what year it was. It was either the very first one in ‘64 or it may have been the following year. How things have changed.
I see young Tommy has made another bid for stardom, and has an entry in.
What struck me was his comment that he had to get his presentation back from the printers! What? Printers? In my day, we scribbled our notes in copybooks, tore out the pages and thumbtacked them onto the cubicle. Next thing, entrants will be hiring PR experts, decorators and makeup artists?
In my day, we muddled through. There was a sense of adventure and a pioneering spirit. Not for us the glamour of a flashy computer display. Not for us the concept of a video presentation. We threw things together and hoped they worked when the judges came around. Meccano, string and sticky tape were the order of the day.
I had a damned good entry.
“An exploration of the theory that there is more than one way to skin a cat [with live demonstrations]”
It didn’t win, but I got a certificate and a court summons.
I showed a lot of promise even in those days.
- Times past
- Comments(11)
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‘I showed a lot of promise even in those days’.
Ah Grandad, I can see that. From skinning cats to shelling tourists. It’s an innovative career to be sure!
They don’t make us like they used to, that’s certain.
When my eldest was doing Young Scientist, I had all sorts of marvellous ideas for her, which she rejected of course, and in the event didn’t win a thing. I promise, I didn’t gloat.
Well, not in front of her anyhow.
Maybe they should start a “Senior Scientist” to go along? We’ll teach them a few things, I think.
you’re obviously a man of many talents then? Right about the old methods – you should see some of the “projects” children come to school with now – all powerpoint and such – the only thing that’s obvious somehow is that the parents did it! My children’s projects definitely look like the real thing because I want them to use their own ideas. They look pretty sad next to all the flashy ones – but we don’t care – we know the truth right?
By the way, congratulations on reaching a 1000 posts. I’d need to take a year off of motherhood to compete with that!
Geri – All my life I have striven to be more efficient at what I love doing best.
Susan – Senior Scientist? A very interesting proposition. ’101 ways to cook Horlicks’? ‘Computerised Zimerframes’? The possibilities are endless..
Tricia – What is this modern thing that you can’t do anything unless you use Powerpoint? I hate it. I tought for years up to a couple of years ago and managed perfectly without it. Why don’t you get the children to write for you?
Well, we could have an Old Chancer Exhibition.
I’d enter.
From young scientist to old fart in 45 years. It’s a funny old life n’est ce pas ?
From the printers? Pshaw! So much for the digital generation!
I’m very surprised that didn’t help you win in biological sciences
Bock – You’re on. We’ll have to have an explosives sniffer dog at the door though?
TT – It could be worse? I could have gone from young fart to old scientist, but it wouldn’t have been as interesting.
Karyn – Whatever happened to calligraphy? Or even half decent handwriting?
TheChrisD – I was robbed. I know that. The judges had no sense of foresight [or humour] at all.
I wish they wouldn’t ban explosives, most of them work as advertised. There was that small mishap in Chemistry class. We did manage to make a mostly reliable version of gun cotton. Not that much nitric acid got splashed around the beaker exploded.
Jim C – I couldn’t agree more. Any twelve year old should be taught the rudiments of mixing nitric acid with glycerine. You never know when that type of information may be needed.