Abdusalam Abubakar facts for kids

Abdusalam Abubakar is a scientist from Ireland, originally from Somalia. He became famous when he won the 43rd Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2007. He was only seventeen years old! Later that year, he was also named the EU Young Scientist of the Year.

About Abdusalam

Moving to Ireland

Abdusalam Abubakar was born in Somalia. He moved to Ireland in May 2005. He started attending Synge Street CBS, a school in central Dublin.

First Science Project

Abdusalam first joined the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition with two friends. They taught him how to research and solve problems. Together, they won an award for their work in mathematics. He had a mentor named Jim Cooke who helped him.

Winning the Young Scientist Exhibition

Abdusalam entered the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition again in 2007. He was in his third year of school. His project was called "An Extension of Wiener's Attack on RSA". This project was about cryptography, which is the science of secure communication. It's like making secret codes!

Abdusalam won the exhibition on January 12, 2007, in Dublin. He beat Ciara Murphy, who had studied hearing loss in teenagers. After winning, Abdusalam shared that he had never used a computer before moving to Ireland just twenty months earlier.

Becoming a Young Star

After his big win, Abdusalam was called "the hottest name in Ireland". People said his achievement was a "landmark in science". He even appeared on the front cover of a magazine! The headline called him a "GENIUS!" He also appeared on a TV show called Dustin's Daily News on January 19, 2007.

European Recognition

In September 2007, Abdusalam represented Ireland. He went to the 19th European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Valencia, Spain. There, he won first prize in the field of mathematics for Ireland.

Later Studies

Abdusalam later studied financial mathematics. He attended Dublin City University.