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On the way up
Four transition year students from St Nessan’s Community College in Limerick are to launch an experiment into space. The four, Jamie o’Connell, Jonathon roche, Kevin Hanley and Jason Hannon, will investigate how microgravity influences the solidification of reinforced concrete as it orbits Earth for 30 days. The experiment will be on board the orbital Science orb-2 mision as it heads up to the International Space Station next May. Following the spaceflight, the experimental material will be examined and compared to a grounded control. The project was the winner in a competition organised by Dr Norah Patton from the Irish Centre for Composites research at the university of Limerick and sponsored by Nanoracks, a company providing hardware and services to the International Space Station.
Disinfectants not working
MICroBIoLoGIST, Dr Mary Corcoran, tested three different disinfectants on established films of Salmonella and found that they simply did not work. The main reason for the failure to kill off the Salmonella is that it had formed what is known as a biofilm. On their own, microorganisms are open to attack, but within a few days many, such as Salmonella, form a biofilm, similar to plaque on teeth, and collectively they are much more difficult to dislodge. Dr Corcoran, reporting her findings in the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, said that three of the strongest disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite (bleach), sodium hydroxide, and benzalkonium chloride, failed to kill off seven day old biofilms of Salmonella, even after soaking them with disinfectant for an hour and a half. These findings show that once Salmonella has become established in food processing areas, normal cleaning is not going to eliminate the risk of spreading outbreaks of food-poisoning. Biofilms can form on glass, stainless steel, glazed tiles, concrete and plastic, and over time the biofilms grow. As Dr Corcoran concluded, conventional cleaning is not going to solve that problem, and food producers need to find an effective method for killing biofilms
UPFRONT
Jason Hannan, Jamie O’Connell, Kevin Hanley and Jonathan Roche. Photo: Sean Curtin.
Environmental guidelines
BEForE any major development is undertaken an Environmental Impact Statement has to be prepared. The EIS alerts planners to any possible problems that might arise so that these issues can be addressed before development proceeds. The specialists who draw up the EIS often come from different fields, so it is important for them to communicate clearly and effectively in a common format. As Catherine Buckley, lead author of Guidelines for the preparation of soils, geology and hydrology chapters in Environmental Impact Statements, commented, experts need to talk the same language. The guidelines, published by the Institute of Geologists in Ireland, will help experts to take a standard approach in preparing EIS reports, not just in Ireland but across Europe. Patrick Roycroft
Fom left Tiernan Byrne,11,; David Brennan,12,; Eoin Geoghegan,11; and Adam Healy,12,; from Scoil Uí Riada, Kilcock, Co Kildare with their spelling ap project “Learnicles” Photo: Naoise Culhane.
PrImAry school pupils from 4th, 5th and 6th classes nationwide competed in Intel’s Mini Scientist competion. Winners in local events were at the TCD Science Gallery to participate in the finals. Fifteen projects were presented and the top award went to a team from Scoil ui ruada, Kilcock, County Kildare. Tiernan Byrne, David Brennan, Eoin Geoghegan and Adam Healy had developed a spelling ap for students. The runner up awards went to Náisiúnta an Bhaile Nua, Newtown, Co Meath and Cratloe National School, Co Clare.
SCIENCE SPIN Issue 63 Page 6