SciFest Ezine, Volume 6, Number 1, September 2014

SCIFEST September 2014

SciFest Ezine, Volume 6, Number 1

Participation in SciFest 2014 breaks all previous records 6059

Students

2594

Projects

243

Schools

417

Teachers

15

SciFest@College science fairs

35

SciFest@School science fairs

29

Counties

60%

Female students

98.5%

Of students said participating in SciFest was a worthwhile learning experience

100%

Of teachers said participating in SciFest was a worthwhile learning experience

Check out the website: www.scifest.ie. Celebrate science at SciFest In This Issue  SciFest 2014 STEM Superstars

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 SciFest@SFI Discover Finalists

2

 Boston Scientific joins SciFest

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 SEAI INESPO Finalists

3

 SciFest@School

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 Coming up with an idea

5

 Why should teachers get involved in SciFest

5

 6 easy steps to a successful project 6  Contact details and resources

SciFest@College, IT Blanchardstown 2014

6

2

Introducing the SciFest STEM superstars of 2014

SciFest@College 2014 LIT SciFest@College 2014 IT Tralee—SFI Best Project Award winners

SFI Best Project Award winner

SciFest 2014 SFI Discover Best Project Award winners Venue

School

Teacher

Student

Project Title

AIT

Tullamore College, Riverside, Co. Offaly

Jillian Browne Cian Fogarty and John Tobin

Science and Sewage

CIT

Pobalscoil na Tríonóide, Youghal, Co. Cork

Crona McCarthy

Bobby McCarthy, Edmond O'Halloran and Oisín Keniry

AgriScan

NorthOakgrove Integrated College, West Gransha Park, Derry Derry

Christine Gilmore

Megan Duffy and Zoe McGirr

A seed harvesting kit for subsistence farmers in developing countries

DIT

Dominican College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9

Michael Moriarty

Kate Culligan and Clodagh Hunt-Sheridan

A research study of the X-ray properties of black hole binary stars

DkIT

St Vincent's Secondary School, Dundalk, Co. Louth

John White

Rachel Ní Dhonnachadha and Shannon Ní Dhonnachadha

Karate: the science of punching

GMIT

Mary Immaculate Secondary John Sims School, Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare

Aisling O'Rourke

An examination of rock pool fish communities on shores north and south of Galway Bay

ITB

Willow Park School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Aoife Culhane

Ben Brown, Sean Hannon and Cian Dunne

The eradication of paper receipts

ITC

Avondale Community College, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow

Aoife Sullivan

Mark Roche and Cormac Ward

Be on track with the BVD pack

ITS

Meán Scoil Muire gan Smál, Convent Rd, Roscommon

Padraig Harlow

Nicole Dolan and Erica Neilan

Use of ultrasonics for sterilisation in brewing and fermentation

ITT

Mount Anville Secondary School, Bernard Goatstown Road, Dublin 14 Crampton

Ria Reddy

Pure copper: the new soap solution?

IT St Brendan's College, Killarney, Marie Tralee Co. Kerry Vaughan

Jack Knoblauch, James Knoblauch Is there a future for micro-hydroelectricity in and Harry Knoblauch Ireland?

LIT

St Caimin’s Communtiy School, Shannon, Co. Clare

Deirdre McGrath

Aláine Ní Laoí

A comparison of flight strategy efficiency in raptors

LITTipp.

Coláiste Dún Iascaigh, Cahir, Co Tipperary

Rachel Burke

Kayleigh Bourke, Ceili Cowan and Do you get the MSG? Kenneth Conlon

LyIT

Our Lady's Secondary School, Castleblaney, Co. Monaghan

Kathyrn Higgins

Christopher Carragher

An electronic device to enhance independent living for those who suffer memory loss.

WIT

Gaelcholáiste Phort Láirge, Baile Seán Mhic Gunair, Port Láirge Ó Catháin

Coill Ó Crotaigh

An investigation into the use of ash as an insulation

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Boston Scientific joins SciFest as Project Partner

SciFest is delighted to announce

SciFest 2014 National Final SciFest@SFI Discover The SciFest 2014 National Final will take place on 7 November in the Marino Conference Centre, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9. The SFI Discover Best Project Award winner/s from each of the 15 SciFest@College 2014 venues will be given the opportunity to present their projects to a team of judges, their teachers, parents and invited guests. The guest of honour at the awards ceremony will be Minister Damien English, TD. The prizes include: SciFest 2014 Grand Award. The recipients of this award will represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in Pittsburgh in May 2015 The Berlin Long Night of Science Award The SEAI INESPO International Environment & Sustainability Project Olympiad (INESPO) Award



that Boston Scientific has joined SFI Discover and Intel Ireland as a SciFest project partner.

 

To celebrate the partnership a special medical devices award

The project report books of the 15

will be presented at the SciFest

regional SEAI Award winners were

national final in November.

recalled and 6 projects were selected by a panel of judges to present

A NEW AWARD, The Boston

their projects and compete at the

Scientific Medical Devices Award,

national final. The award is a new

Will be presented at each of the

award for SciFest 2014 and is being

15 SciFest@College 2015 venues.

Additional information and a

SciFest 2014 SEAI Award winners with Aoife Cannon, SEAI

sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

PowerPoint presentation explaining what is meant by a medical

SciFest 2014 SEAI INESPO Finalists

device may be found on the

Venue

SciFest website.

CIT

sations that make the programme possible.

Claire Holland

Student/s Ellen Fitzgerald, Aoife Dolan and Niamh Nyhan

Project Non-integrated LED bulb

DIT

Paul Nugent

Carla Kaveh and Emma Wilson

The study of differences in level crossing waiting times along the Dublin DART line and their contribution to CO2 emissions

ITB

Willow Park School, Blackrock, Co Dublin

Aoife Culhane

Ben Brown, Sean Hannon and Cian Dunne

The eradication of paper receipts

ITS

St Nathy's College, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon

Oonagh Redmond

Diarmuid Geever

Rain: a free source of water?

IT Tralee

St Brendan's College, Killarney, Co Kerry

Marie Vaughan

Jack, James and Harry Knoblauch

Is there a future for micro-hydroelectricity in Ireland

NorthWest Derry

Oakgrove Integrated College, Gransha Park, Derry

Laura Corbett

Siofra Flynn, Eva O'Connell and Lauren Moran

Wind turbine investigations

acknowledges the contributions of all the companies and organi-

Teacher

Santa Sabina Dominican College, Sutton, Dublin

SciFest is entirely dependent on sponsorship and gratefully

School Sacred Heart Secondary School, Co Cork

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SciFest@School Upcoming Events SciFest@School in St Andrew's College, Blackrock, Co. Dublin Wed, Nov 5th SciFest@School in Loreto Secondary School, St Michael's, Navan, Co. Meath Mon, Nov 10th SciFest@School in CBS RoscomSciFest@School Loreto College, St Stephen’s Green

SciFest@School SciFest@School in-school science fairs take place throughout the school year. During the 2013/2014 schools year a total of 35 schools ran inhouse SciFest science fairs.

mon, Abbeytown, Co. Roscommon Tue, Nov 11th SciFest@School in Skerries Community College, Skerries, Co. Dublin Wed, Nov 12th SciFest@School in Mount Anville Secondary School, Goatstown, Dublin 14

The first SciFest@School event of the current school year took place in St

Fri, Nov 14th

David's Holy Faith Secondary School, Greystones, Co. Wicklow on Mon-

SciFest@School in St Paul's Com-

day 6 October. With more than seventy second year projects on display it

munity College, Waterford

was difficult to select the winners in each category. Project titles included:

Fri, Nov 14th

'Brushbots', 'A homemade Van de Graaf', 'An Analysis of Shower Use'

SciFest@School in Blackrock Col-

and 'Is Left/Right Side an Issue with Animals'. Well done to all second

lege, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

year students and their science teachers.

On 10 October Loreto College, St Stephen's Green hosted their third SciFest@School. Ninety-five TY students presented forty projects to the seven external judges. Again the standard was very high and project titles included: 'The treatment of common eye cysts using a heated electric eye patch', ‘The science of basketball' and ‘A study on conformity: Do you follow the herd?'.

A number of schools have registered to host SciFest@School science fairs during November:

To learn more about SciFest@School and the wider SciFest programme please visit the website www.scifest.ie.

SciFest@School, St David’s Greystones—’Brushbots

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Coming up with an idea Often the most difficult part of doing a science fair project is actually coming up with a workable idea. Don’t worry; the majority of students have exactly the same problem.

What you must avoid doing is getting bogged down by the lists and lists of science fair project ideas that are available on the Internet. Remember you will be more passionate about, and interested in, something you have selected yourself.

Check out the SciFest website: http://scifest.ie/resources SciFest@College IT Blanchardstown 2014

Why should teachers get involved in SciFest?

SciFest participation provides an enriching experience not only for students but also for teachers by: 

Facilitating a community of educators with similar goals and ideals



Providing online support and resources for teachers at www.scifest.ie 

Supporting the teaching of the STEM subjects in the second-level curriculum



Raising the profile of science within the school and the community



Affording teachers the opportunity to visit the local third-level college, meet staff working in the STEM area and learn about the STEM-related courses available in the college



Creating valuable links between enterprise and the school

“Excellent event, as usual. My students thoroughly enjoyed it, it has really boosted the profile of science in our school” SciFest@College IT Carlow 2014

SciFest 2014 Quote from teacher

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Contact Us e: sheila.porter@scifest.ie e: george.porter@scifest.ie m: 086 379 6143 w: www.scifest.ie Please check the website regularly for updates Closing date for receipt of entries to SciFest@College 2015 is: Friday 13 March 2015

A wide range of resources may be found on the SciFest website These include: 

A SciFest STEM Fairs Toolkit to support teachers and students in developing projects and to support schools in organising a SciFest@School science fair



2 student modules: ‘A Beginner’s Guide to doing a SciFest Project’ and a ‘Transition Year module - Science by Inquiry’



SciFest - Why Get Involved



SciFest Support Panel



SciFest Testimonials



SciFest National Final 2011 project abstracts



SciFest National Final 2012 project abstracts



SciFest National Final 2013 project abstracts



Science Fairs in Ireland - Information for Teachers all you need to know about participating in a science fair in Ireland

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