All Fionn and games

An award-winning Cork student received a hero’s welcome when he returned to school on Tuesday to pick up his Leaving Cert results.

Fionn Ferreira, of Schull Community College, has become something of a local hero after he recently won the overall top prize at the Google Science Fair in California in July, taking home a massive $50,000 prize.

The budding scientist was one of 24 finalists selected from a global shortlist of 100 entries. He won the prestigious award for his innovative investigation into the removal of micro plastics from water using a magnetic liquid called ferrofluid.

Fionn said: “I am hugely honoured to have received this special recognition and a warm welcome back from the school. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. The teachers in Schull Community College have created an environment which fosters learning and encourages people to strive for excellence. I want to thank them for all their support over the years, which I believe contributed to my achievements both inside and outside of school.”

Fionn currently works as a curator at the Schull Planetarium and plans to attend university in the Netherlands.

During his time in Schull Community College, he collected 12 science fair awards and in 2018 had a minor planet named after him at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory, in recognition of his achievement at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Padraig O’Sullivan, Deputy Principal of Schull Community College, said: “We are delighted to recognise Fionn for his fantastic achievement. He has continuously striven for and achieved excellence both in school and in his extracurricular activities. I wish him every success moving forward.”