Thanks so much for voting for me in the competition. I was humbled by your support and really appreciated it.

I loved the process and I think I learned a lot from all of the challenging questions you posed. I hope that if you ever cross paths with another scientist in the future you will bombard them with lots of questions just like you did during the competition. That curiosity will serve you well in your studies and might lead you to a career in science. If I had the confidence to ask more questions when I was younger I think I would have made a better scientist.

I work for Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, so feel free to pop in and say hello if you’re ever around. I tweet about science and my life at: https://twitter.com/joeboating so if you ever have any science/space questions, hit me up on Twitter and I’ll do my best to answer them.

I will also keep you informed on how I spend the prize money. I promise it will result in novel ways of communicating the beauty and intrigue of space.

I would also like to thank the “I’m A Scientist” team for making this competition happen. Their support and enthusiasm was incredible I hope you will all take part in any future competitions that they organise. Until then, I’m a scientist, and I’m getting out of here. Peace.