SciFest Ezine, SciFest@Intel Special Edition, Volume 4, Number 2, November 2012

e n i z E t s e F i c S www.scifest.ie

Volume 4, Number 2

November 2012

SciFest@Intel 2012 Special Edition SciFest Limited E: sheila.porter@scifest.ie T: 01 298 8312 M: 086 379 6143 W: www.scifest.ie

Inside this issue: SciFest 2012 Global Citizenship and Sustainability Award

2

Photographs from SciFest@Intel 2012

3

Contact details

4

SciFest@Intel 2012A selection of comments

4

CBS student wins top prize at SciFest@Intel 2012

Special points of interest:  SciFest@Intel 2011 Grand Award winners achieved a second place in their category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 2012.  In total almost 4300 students exhibited almost 1900 projects in SciFest 2012.

- Winner to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona Simon Bluett from CBS Secondary

SciFest fairs which took place earlier

Kilkenny picked up the top prize at

this year at Institutes of Technology

SciFest@Intel 2012

for his project

around the country and the Univer-

‘ E asyflick, Innovative, easy to use

sity of Ulster, Magee Campus, in

and safe circuit and lighting control

Derry.

for

SciFest@Intel, gives the winning

every

McKenna,

house ‘ .

EU

Dr

Research

Jennifer

The

national

final,

Project

Manager, Intel, presented the winner with his prize - an all-expenses-paid trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair ( I SEF ) 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2013, where he will represent Ireland.

SciFest@Intel is an exhibition of the winning projects from the 15 regional

Simon Bluett CBS Secondary Kilkenny Best Project Award winner IT Carlow

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SciFest Ezine

students an opportunity to showcase their projects at Intel Ireland, and to be in with a chance to win the top prize.

The aim of Simon ’ s project was to design a system that can remotely control electrical circuits in the home. Recognising that there are already a number of home control products on the market, Simon ’ s approach was to design a product that could be retrofitted to an existing electrical system. He designed and developed a small flick unit that clips onto the circuit breaker switches on home switchboards. The unit is controlled via an app or online website, allowing you to control the circuits in your home,

Simon Bluett receiving his award from Dr Jennifer McKenna, EU Research Project Manager, Intel and Dr Graham Love, Director of Discover Science & Engineering, SFI

wherever you are. This means that if you are on the way to work and forgot to turn off the light in the kitchen, you can do so from the app!

Congratulations also to Simon ’ s teacher and mentor Patrick McCormack. As part of the award Patrick will travel with Simon to Phoenix in May 2013.

“We are seeing a steady rise in students selecting science and related courses at third level and this is also reflected in the increased participation in SciFest, year-on-year. Encouragingly, 2012 saw close to 4,300 students exhibit almost 1,900 projects at regional level in ITs and schools around the country, and the 15 projects exhibited here today are of a very high standard. All students should be extremely proud of themselves for reaching this stage of SciFest. Simon’s project was exceptional and shows how good students are at thinking outside they box and most importantly that science can be fun! I congratulate him on his success today and I am confident that he will do Ireland proud at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

DSE promotes inquiry based teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and maths, and events like SciFest help to promote these practices and encourage practical and hands-on learning for students.”

Dr Graham Love, Director of Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) and Policy and Communications at Science Foundation Ireland (SFI)

SciFest 2012 Global Citizenship and Sustainability Award SciFest 2012 saw the introduction of a new award, the Global Citizenship and Sustainability Award, which was set up to provide opportunities for Irish students to work cooperatively with students in Africa on global issues relating to sustainability.

The award was sponsored by Intel Ireland.

Keane Nolan and DJ Hanley, overall winners of the SciFest 2012 Global Citizenship and Sustainability Award, with Angela Rickard, NUIM

Volume 4, Number 2

Page 3

In its inaugural year, the SciFest

SciFest judging panel. The panel trophy, a cash prize of €300 and

Global Citizenship and Sustain-

reviewed all projects from the 15 a school visit from the winners of

ability Award provides a platform

venues and selected one overall the first Young Scientists Tanza-

for Irish and African students to

winner. The winning project came nia during their trip to Ireland in

come

from St. Mary ’ s Academy, CBS January 2013. Their project was

together

to

investigate

theories, discover new technolo-

Carlow and was carried out in entitled,

gies and advance current knowl-

collaboration with Popatlal Sec- analysis of raw versus pasteur-

edge through research and inno-

ondary School, Tanga, Tanzania. ised milk and the potential use of

vation in Ireland and Africa. At

The two students involved were natural preservatives in milk to

each Institute of Technology the

Keane Nolan and DJ Hanley. mitigate the effects of poverty in

projects which were eligible for

They received the SciFest Global rural Africa ’ .

this award were passed to a

Citizenship

and

‘ The

comparative

Sustainability

“Through participation at SciFest events students develop skills-sets that are required to address future global concerns of food, water and energy security, create wealth to sustain growth and provide better health services and better infrastructure. This year saw Intel introduce the inaugural Global Citizenship and Sustainability Award. This award was set up to provide opportunities for Irish students to work cooperatively with students in Africa on global issues relating to sustainability.”

Clare Keaveney-Jimenez, CIT Best Project award winner, receiving her Intel Excellence in STEM award from Dr Graham Love

Dr Padraig Ó’Murchú, Education and Research Manager, Intel Ireland

Photographs from SciFest@Intel 2012

AIT Best Project award winners Alan Harney and Ruairi McKenna Carroll with their teacher Sarah Kennedy

GMIT Best Project award winner Shauna O’Neill with her teacher Padraig Harlow

ITT Best Project award winner Ruta Puodziunaite with her teacher Mairéad O’Brien

(School: St Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe, Co Galway)

(School; Convent of Mercy, Roscommon Town)

(School: St Louis High School, Rathmines, Dublin 6)

SciFest

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SciFest@School SciFest 2013

Contact details:

Registration is now open

Sheila Porter SciFest Project Manager

Please contact the project manager for details

T: 01 298 8312 M: 086 379 6143 E: sheila.porter@scifest.ie sheilaporter@iol.ie

‘‘Great science is characterised not by rote-learning and memorisation but by creativity and investigation. The aim of SciFest is to create a science fair experience that is inclusive, accessible and inspires excellence. SciFest provides teachers with an opportunity to promote STEM in the classroom in an interesting, innovative and hands-on way. Furthermore, participation in SciFest supports not only the objectives of the current Junior Cert science syllabus but also the development of the key skills identified as central to learning in the new Junior Cycle curriculum. “ Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager

www.scifest.ie

November 2012

New look website coming soon. Watch this space for details.

SciFest@Intel 2012-A selection of comments Judges’ Comments 

‘I was only too delighted to be able to help out with SciFest- it’s great fun. If only one could bottle that energy and enthusiasm from the students, it would be great!’



‘Many thanks for inviting me to participate. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Meeting those young people renews one’s faith in the future! The standard was excellent – higher than last year I reckon.’

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‘Thank you for the opportunity to be a judge at SciFest 2012. I enjoyed the experience thoroughly. ‘

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‘Delighted to be a part of this but the decision was made! Very impressed by the quality and calibre of students’



‘Thank you for inviting me to judge. It was a truly enlightening experience. ‘

IT Carlow Best Project Award winner Simon Bluett with his teacher Patrick McCormack

Teachers’ Comments 

‘I want to extend my congratulations to you on such a great awards ceremony in Intel on Friday 26th of October. It was a very exciting atmosphere that provided real encouragement to students and motivation to teachers!’

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‘Many thanks for the day at INTEL organised on Friday 26 October. Our students really did enjoy the experience and we look forward to getting involved again in the future.’

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‘I really enjoyed my involvement with the SciFest last year after many years out of doing projects. I have the 'bug' again and look forward to seeing you in the future.’

WIT Best Project Award winner Maria Bridges with her teacher Claire Hurley (School: CBS Secondary School, New Ross, Co Wexford)

Students’ Comments 

‘Thank you for the opportunity to take part in the competition. I've had a great time, and it has opened up so many doors for me.’



‘Thank you for everything. The day was brilliant. We learned so much from the judges.’



‘Many thanks for the SciFest experience. I am now doing physics in 5th year and really enjoying it.’

NorthWest Best Project Award winners Oisin O’Connell, Matthew Austin and Sophie McFaul (School; Foyle College, Duncreggan Road, Londonderry)