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Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

physics-astronomy.org

61–70 of 141 posts

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it's worth, I noticed that a similar list of accomplishments appears on the guy's own website: https://www.fionnferreira.com

...and a photo of him accepting an award from Vint Cerf. inadequacy intensifies

He's pretty driven all right. Good luck to him. Actually it says on a youtube video that he is half German and half Portuguese though his parents gave him an Irish forename!

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#62

Sure, but why? What harm do these things do? I know, lots of articles are published that cite one another. But none of them have any actual harm documented. They just vaguely refer to one another with "It's well-known that these things are harmful" and then cite another article that says the same thing. It reminds me of 'solar roads', another hyped-up internet sensation based on nothing.

Everything that exists on Earth such as oceans, jungles and all animals took millions of years to develop without having microplastics inside of them, to even suggest they are not harmful would requiere extremely strong evidence to prove such an external interference on such delicate equilibrium inside bodies does absolutely nothing. And by the way many articles do not cite each other and have original research on the subject:

https://www.ecowatch.com/microplastics-hurt-earthworms-too-2...

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Ferrier sat his Leaving Certificate exams last month at Schull Community College and is due to attend university in the Netherlands. pretty normal to graduate high school and attend university > works as a curator at the Schull Planetarium I don't know what responsibility this holds how he got the job so it's hard to say. >has won 12 science fair awards I don't know the award scheme so hard to say. Even if he won 1s…

Luckily the young dude has no need to prove himself to you, and hopefully he never reads this comment. Being engaged enough as a teenager to win stuff, have a job, become actually fluent at languages (Irish high school does not make you fluent), do your grades in music, and choose then qualify for a university outside Ireland - none of this is easy or the "default" that is expected of children growing up there. The d…

attend one of several major Irish universities free of charge

Those days are long gone thanks to the neo-liberals.

Impressed by this guy's accomplishments. His parents and environment are doing something right.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because in reality the teenager's mental output isn't higher than a random adult engineer. But people just think "amazing" when a teenager does something, because people now have very low expectation for teenagers.

Teenagers also tend to have all the time in the world for hobbies, relative to working adults. I'm a firm believer that in order to reach virtuous levels in anything, you really need to take advantage of your teenage years to nail down the fundamentals. I'm a musician myself, and spent almost every day between ages 13 to 20, often up to 6 hours a day, practicing and playing my instrument. Way more often than not, whe…

I did a lot of programming in my teenage years, and i think that gave me a head start i am still enjoying today. But when i was a teenager, we didn't really have the internet at home, so picking up a programming book and having a go was amongst the easiest and most enjoyable distractions available to me in the summer holidays. I do wonder, if i was growing up again today, whether i would still do that, or just spend all my time on Reddit.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#65
post #33

Maybe it was the cynical in me, but I wonder why those "teenager will save the world" relates are so popular (but often show so few results at long term). Some awards seem just a way to pose, borrow some good ideas, obtain a photo and a cover page and this is all. Will be interesting to see how this ends

It is a really nice science fair project. However, the concentrations that he used seem really high compared to what would be in the environment or even in wastewater. So conjectures about scaling this up for practical use seem to be the usual pro forma pitch that projects often have.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#66
post #41
post #34

"Ferrier sat his Leaving Certificate exams last month at Schull Community College and is due to attend university in the Netherlands. The teenager works as a curator at the Schull Planetarium, has won 12 science fair awards, speaks three languages fluently, plays the trumpet at orchestra level, and had a minor planet named after him by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory." Anyone else feeling somewhat inadequate in comparison…

Sounds like he has parents from different countries, first name is Irish, surname sounds Portuguese(?) so head start there on the language front, perhaps. Schull is a very small community, couple of thousand max but there's been a lot of 'alternative' type immigration there from other first world countries, artists etc from places like England (eg Jeremy irons), Netherlands so its secondary school is pretty progressi…

This reads like a figurative kick in the face to those who argue against free education and social programmes "because the market will solve it and those that work hard enough will make it, so it's fair". The world is deeply unjust economically and the vast majority loses from that, and those, that manage the inquality by using the cheap larbor and forced constraints of the disadvantaged to serve the more fortunate ones, win. Even the fortunate ones win from rich neighbours, so there should be a big consensus for universal conditionless free education, social security and health insurance backed by the government.

I know this might be interpreted as a flamebait and I see the common "but the government is incompetent/corrupt/inefficient" answers already, but those don't negate what I just wrote in any way upon closer inspection. However, this is genuinely how I feel and I feel stupidified when I see how these programmes aren't yet serious international standards.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because in reality the teenager's mental output isn't higher than a random adult engineer. But people just think "amazing" when a teenager does something, because people now have very low expectation for teenagers.

Teenagers also tend to have all the time in the world for hobbies, relative to working adults. I'm a firm believer that in order to reach virtuous levels in anything, you really need to take advantage of your teenage years to nail down the fundamentals. I'm a musician myself, and spent almost every day between ages 13 to 20, often up to 6 hours a day, practicing and playing my instrument. Way more often than not, whe…

I disagree. Your teenage years are just your first opportunity to "master" a skill. If we take the 10000 hour rule as an example it takes 5 years of continuous effort. Between the age of 12 and 18 there is plenty of time for that. After that you go to higher which lets you master your second skill. After that you go to work and master your third skill and so on.

The only difference is that during your teenage years you get to choose. There is no pressure to get a "useful" degree or find a high-paying job.

Something obvious: Just because you have these opportunities doesn't mean you automatically take advantage of them and become virtuous. A lot of people waste their opportunities in exchange for something else.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#68
post #66
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like he has parents from different countries, first name is Irish, surname sounds Portuguese(?) so head start there on the language front, perhaps. Schull is a very small community, couple of thousand max but there's been a lot of 'alternative' type immigration there from other first world countries, artists etc from places like England (eg Jeremy irons), Netherlands so its secondary school is pretty progressi…

This reads like a figurative kick in the face to those who argue against free education and social programmes "because the market will solve it and those that work hard enough will make it, so it's fair". The world is deeply unjust economically and the vast majority loses from that, and those, that manage the inquality by using the cheap larbor and forced constraints of the disadvantaged to serve the more fortunate o…

You’re not alone there. Ontario is battling it out over this (once again). It’s regretful that it’s even a question anymore.

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#69
post #34

"Ferrier sat his Leaving Certificate exams last month at Schull Community College and is due to attend university in the Netherlands. The teenager works as a curator at the Schull Planetarium, has won 12 science fair awards, speaks three languages fluently, plays the trumpet at orchestra level, and had a minor planet named after him by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory." Anyone else feeling somewhat inadequate in comparison…

As an Irish person, I feel both proud of his work and saddened by the fact that our own university research system is so lacking he has to move abroad.

Well, don't take it bad.

Ireland has like 5 million people? How would it have/support an adequate university research system to support a top-tier talent?

Re: Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

#70
post #49
post #34

"Ferrier sat his Leaving Certificate exams last month at Schull Community College and is due to attend university in the Netherlands. The teenager works as a curator at the Schull Planetarium, has won 12 science fair awards, speaks three languages fluently, plays the trumpet at orchestra level, and had a minor planet named after him by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory." Anyone else feeling somewhat inadequate in comparison…

Depending on circumstances, speaking 3 langs could be completely normal

Well, in Europe that would be an easy 10-15% of the population...
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