JONATHAN Lynn, a student of St. Mary's College, Dundalk, has been selected, along with five others, to represent Ireland at the International Junior Science Olympiad held in Azerbaijan this year.

After being nominated by Con McGinley, Principal of St. Mary's College, Jonathan participated in The Irish Junior Science Olympiad on Saturday 7th November in Dublin City University (DCU). After a tough, three-hour examination, testing his knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics, the Dundalk student was one of six people chosen to compete for Ireland at international level.

The intercontinental science competition has been running annually since 2004 when it was held in Indonesia. Starting on December 2nd, six students from the 50 participating countries will meet in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over ten days, they will compete against each other in test, theoretical and experimental examinations. After the correction of the tests, the students are ranked according to their grades. Then the top 10% of students receive gold medals, the following 20% receive silver medals and the next 30% receive bronze medals.

In last year's Junior Science Olympiad, held in South Korea, Ireland picked up three bronze medals overall and where ranked 25th out of 49. Lynn commented that "I am looking forward to meeting the best students from countries around the world and seeing how I compare to them", “I am also looking forward to experiencing different cultures in Azerbaijan."

According to the Principal of St. Mary's College, Con McGinley, "When you look at his results, it's thoroughly deserved." "It's a great honour for Jonathan, his family and his school" he said.

Jonathan told The Democrat, "When I heard my name I didn't believe it. Even when I got my medal I just wanted to go home and show my family."

"My parents are ecstatic. My dad told everyone he knows and my mum is so proud of me also." He also revealed that, "Because of my exam, I have had to miss a lot of things, for example running training, football matches, Transition Year Work Experience and the Trade Fair."