Prize students master the science of removing jargon

A pharmacology student has taken first prize in the annual Merville Lay Seminar at University College Dublin. The award was presented by the Attorney General, Mr Michael McDowell.

Mr Jonathan Dean's winning presentation was one of six included in Tuesday night's competition at the O'Reilly Hall. All were made by third-year students from UCD's departments of biochemistry and pharmacology, who were asked to describe their research in ordinary language and without scientific jargon.

Mr McDowell praised the efforts of all contestants. "I am really very deeply impressed with the quality of the presentations," he said, adding that the essence of science was to "explain itself." The winning talk was entitled NT or not NT - that is the question. It explained how immune NT cells can be found in bone marrow and that these cells had a role in cancer treatments.

The evening's programme was chaired by RTE presenter, Mr Pat Kenny. The judging panel was chaired by Mr Fergus Finlay and included the manager of the Republic of Ireland youth soccer team, Mr Brian Kerr; Ms Brenda Power of the Sunday Tribune; and the head of UCD's social and organisational psychology research centre, Prof Eunice McCarthy.

Inaugurated in 1997, the object of the seminars is to encourage young scientists to communicate their work in a way that is understood by the general public. All six contestants won cash prizes worth a total of £655.

Second place was taken by Ms Joanna Griffin, of the department of biochemistry, on the subject Mutants: Proteins made to order. Ms Anne McGettrick, also of the department of biochemistry, took third place with a paper entitled Cancer cells are hooked on immortality.