What is life? When and how did it start? Could there be intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? If so how could we find it? What would it take to establish life on Mars or other planets?
These intriguing questions provide openings for a novel new competition for secondary-school students on the very broad topic, Life in the Universe. Open to students from 14 to 18, the Irish winners of the EU-wide event will take part in a television broadcast from Geneva next November as part of European Science and Technology Week 2001.
Groups of students will be asked to design their own web sites and/ or CD-ROMs which present their own ideas on the subject. It operates on a national basis and there are a variety of categories with separate prizes. Winners will attend a national awards event in October this year before joining with winners from other countries to participate in the Geneva broadcast.
Entrants can pursue Life in the Universe issues as they see fit. They may wish to explore the origins of life on earth or the possibility of life being delivered here from outside the solar system. They could look at evolution and the great extinctions that have opened the way for new species development.
The competition is being organised by the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory.
The organisers are planning an international web site which details what is required and how to apply, and will be available from April 16th at:
http://www.lifeinuniverse.org
A national site is being built but until that is ready a temporary local web site provides information at:
http://seti.it-tallaght.ie/liu
Information is also available from the national organising committee via Mr Kevin Nolan, School of Applied Science, Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin 24. He can be reached by post or by email at:
knolan@seti.it-tallaght.ie