A 16-year-old Cork student has taken third prize in the 10th European Union Contest for Young Scientists, which took place at the end of September in Porto, Portugal. Raphael Hurley's award was for his project on the mathematics of the boardgame Monopoly.
He was pitted against 60 young scientists from 30 countries, aged from 16 to 20, making him one of the youngest entrants. He used advanced mathematics and a computer system to track the probabilities of success in Monopoly. He determined which properties offered the best payback, whether it was an advantage or liability to draw Community Chest or Chance cards and how to improve the likelihood of winning.
Raphael is a transition-year student from Colaiste Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Cork. He attended the competition as winner of the 1998 Esat Telecom Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition. Ireland's Young Scientist winners have always performed well at the EU event, with the 1997 Young Scientist winners, Ciara McGoldrick, Fiona Fraser and Emma McQuillan, from Dominican College, Belfast, taking first place at last year's EU contest.
The closing date for entries to the 1999 Exhibition, to take place from January 5th-10th next, is the end of this week, Friday October 9th. Project proposals may be submitted online via the Esat Telecom Young Scientist & Technology website at www.esat.ie/ youngscientists or by free phone, 1800 724 362.