LIMERICK students are in the running to represent Ireland at the International Linguistics Olympiad in Bucharest this Summer.
Pupils from Castletroy College, Coláiste Chiaráin, Salesian
Secondary College and Villiers School competed at the National Final of the 18th All Ireland Linguistics Olympiad (AILO).
They were among 100 finalists from 56 secondary schools from 20 counties in Dublin City University (DCU) this month.
The competition challenges students to apply logic and reasoning to decode unfamiliar languages by analysing the language data they are given to work out the ‘rules’ of the new language.
These transferable skills are critical in preparing young people for a wide range of careers in computing, linguistics and language.
Speaking about the event, Director of ADAPT, Professor John Kelleher said: “AILO is a showcase of the analytical ability, curiosity and capability of Ireland’s young people.  The students who have reached the final have demonstrated exceptional problem solving skills”.
“The skills developed here are directly transferable to the real world and we hope will give them a love of computing and data-driven research. We are very proud to host the final at DCU and to support an all-island initiative that opens up these futures to students from
every background”, Mr Kelleher added.
The finalists progressed through a preliminary round, involving nearly 1,000 competitors, held in schools earlier this year. The decision on which students go forward will be announced later this month.
For those who want to try the challenge, sample puzzles can be downloaded from https://ailo.adaptcentre.ie/sample-puzzles/