Team reinvents the safety pin to build a telegraph

A working telegraph and a fibre-optic electronic circuit make an unlikely appearance together in a project on telecommunications at the Esat Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, under way at the RDS.

The exhibition is now in full swing and this morning sees day two of the three-day judging process. Each of the 472 projects will be visited by several judges and assessed for presentation, content and how well the students handle questions about their research.

Cathal Reilly (13) and Richard Callan (14), of St Mary's Diocesan School, Drogheda, joined forces to study how communications systems have developed over the years in a project called "The fastest, safest and most efficient means of telecommunications".

They built a working telegraph using a nail wrapped with wire, a safety pin and foam rubber. To activate it, they use a paper clip. Cathal and Richard then went to the other extreme with a fibre-optic circuit which converts voice to light and then back to sound.

The two second-year students also surveyed 100 people to discover how they kept in touch. "Sixty per cent of them said the ordinary house telephone was most effective but we don't agree," Cathal said. They are convinced that the mobile phone is the way to go.

Richard hopes for a career in the telecommunications industry. "It is a really cool job," he said. "I just hope it doesn't run out before I get to it."

Two Dublin students used technology to decide whether it was a help or a hindrance for the radio to be on when studying. James Buchanan (16) and Daniel O'Leary (15) are both transition-year students at Sandford Park School.

"A lot of young people, including ourselves, listen to music when they do their work," James explained. They wanted to see how this affected concentration and devised an innovative selection of tests.

They measured concentration by having subjects memorise numbers and a sequence of pictures, and by having them play the computer game, Tetris.

They checked performance with and without music, when sounds of particular frequencies were emitted and immediately after a short exercise session.

The results were surprisingly variable, with many subjects performing better when listening to music.

This depended, however, on which test was being carried out. Music slightly improved concentration when memorising numbers but hindered performance in the picture memory test.

Only exercise, given as two minutes of aerobic activity, delivered a clear-cut result. In all cases it enhanced concentration and performance.

"It is probably not very helpful to listen to music" when trying to memorise things for longterm memory, James said. "Exercise definitely helps study," Daniel added.

Three transition-year students from Colaiste Iognaid, Galway, decided to see whether they could help the environment by developing a car that runs on compressed air.

"I wanted to make a car that was environmentally safe and cheap on petrol," explained Sarah Colclough (16).

She developed a small prototype model with 15-year-olds Clodagh Killeen and Niamh Keane. They designed and then tested several turbine types to see which performed best. Their resultant working model was an innovative blend of cut-up mineral cans and a plastic drinks bottle. They brought along a compressor to show their model actually worked.

"It would be good for a town car," Sarah stated, but clearly the idea needs a lot more work. "It wouldn't be the most practical but it is possible," Niamh added.