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Irish Teenager Wins Global Science Award for Removing Microplastics from Water

physics-astronomy.org

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

#71

Post by coldtea »

RomanBob wrote: post #42
bb101 wrote: 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…

>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…

We didn't learn much about him from this comment, but we learnt 1-2 things about you :)

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

#72

Post by stefap2 »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #57

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.

Evidence suggests microplastics in water pose ‘minimal health risk’ (bbc.com) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20766496

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

#73

Post by newsocks »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #57

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.

There is evidence that earthworms fail to thrive in soil containing microplastics (but it is not quite clear why)[0]. That then has knock-on effects for soil health and farming.

[0]https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/12/worms-fa...

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

#74

Post by cheez »

52-6F-62 wrote: post #68
madez wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

A few years ago, we were considering relocating to Toronto. We went to a school and had a meeting with the principal of the local school. This principal said to us in no uncertain terms that if we can afford private school, to not send our children to public school in Toronto. Now, could this be a selfish reason on his part? Sure, but I doubt it. He walked us through why.

Toronto is huge.

What you see with the teenager in question is a small town with decent enough resources. And that is the decision we took ultimately: to move to a small town with rich residents.

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

#75

Post by _edo »

madez wrote: post #66
barking wrote: 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…

> The world is deeply unjust economically.......and I feel stupidified when I see how these programmes aren't yet serious international standards.

It's not really that simple. Taking, by force, from Person A to raise Person B's children is complicated especially if you're worried about justness.

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

#76

Post by em-bee »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #44
tempodox wrote: post #32

> At present, no screening or filtering for microplastics takes place in any European wastewater treatment centres. This seems to be a hole that needs plugging. Regulations that prohibit the use of this stuff altogether would be even better.

> Regulations that prohibit the use of this stuff altogether would be even better A lot of microplastic is from textiles. If you ban all sources of microplastics you'll be back to wearing only wool, cotton, silk, linen, and leather. A lot of the remainder is from plastic single use containers. Instead of banning them they could simply be returned to the shop from which they were bought for recycling as is done for mo…

> If you ban all sources of microplastics you'll be back to wearing only wool, cotton, silk, linen, and leather.

what would be wrong with that? i'd be all for it.

it's also possible to make plastic containers and bottles reusable.

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

#77

Post by notfashion »

coldtea wrote: post #69
secfirstmd wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Ireland's per capita level of funding for research has been lagging badly behind the European average, though. It's really a cultural problem: R&D doesn't happen here, except in rare cases. It's not really down to the size of the population: in the 19th C we had Hamilton and Boole, the world's largest telescope in Birr, Grubb telescope manufacturing in Dublin, and the Titanic was built in Belfast in the early 20th C. But independence, for better or worse, saw the Republic kind of divesting itself of technological stuff—it didn't match the national image, and separating from the UK meant that the communication and exchange of technical knowledge became an exception rather than the norm.

So it even has to do with the protestant/catholic divide (science and manufacturing was something "they" did). It's a very painful story, and a lot of Irish tech people have a chip on their shoulder (narcissistic injury) because of our backwardness.

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

#78

Post by secfirstmd »

coldtea wrote: post #69
secfirstmd wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I read recently a survey about European wide research grants and we came bottom. Well outpaced by similar sized, smaller and/or less wealthy countries like Denmark, Finland, Estonia etc.

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

#79

Post by pvaldes »

avip wrote: post #49
bb101 wrote: 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

Yup, in Europe is not uncommon.

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

#80

Post by secfirstmd »

notfashion wrote: post #77
coldtea wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Ireland's per capita level of funding for research has been lagging badly behind the European average, though. It's really a cultural problem: R&D doesn't happen here, except in rare cases. It's not really down to the size of the population: in the 19th C we had Hamilton and Boole, the world's largest telescope in Birr, Grubb telescope manufacturing in Dublin, and the Titanic was built in Belfast in the early 20th C.…

I would also argue that the successful way that Ireland has brought big companies to the country hasn't yet resulted in the spin off of benefits that the presence of such companies has had in other areas.
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