SciFest Ezine, SciFest National Final 2015 Special Edition, Volume 7, Number 2, November 2015

SCIFEST EZINE November 2015

SciFest 2015 National Final - SciFest@SFI Discover Special Edition, Volume 7, Number 2

Overall winner of SciFest 2015, will represent Ireland at Intel ISEF 2016 in Phoenix Arizona Louis Madden, a fifth year student from Largy College, Clones, Co. Monaghan was named overall winner of SciFest 2015 at the national final which took place on 6 November in the Marino Conference Centre in Drumcondra, Dublin. Louis’s project looked at whether genetic testing and DNA research can be carried out simply, cheaply and efficiently. He spent just under €150 on cheap and recycled material to build several pieces of laboratory equipment, including a vortex, centrifuge, PCR, transilluminator, gel box with power supply and gel camera. Using this equipment he isolated and amplified chloroplast DNA using a proprietary DNA extraction kit. Comparing his results with those of other tests of the same material he demonstrated that genetic testing could be done in a simpler, cheaper and more effective manner.

Prof. Mark Ferguson, Director General of SFI and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, presented Louis with his prize – the SciFest 2015 Grand Award. The prize includes the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2016 in Phoenix, Arizona. Louis’s teacher, Sharon Magennis, was presented with the ‘Intel Educator of Excellence Award’ by Sarah Sexton, Communications Manager, Corporate Affairs, Intel Ireland, and will accompany Louis to Intel ISEF.

In This Issue Page  Berlin Long Night of Science Award SEAI INESPO Award Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award  Spirit of SciFest Award IOTI Award  ISTA Award Excellence in STEM Awards  SciFest@School and SciFest@College SciFest Science Week 2015 Quiz Results Partners and Sponsors SciFest 2015 Grand Award winner Louis Madden with Jennifer Cleary, RTE INSIDERS programme

Contact Details

SEAI INESPO Award

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The winner of this award, Lúc de Barra from Coláiste Raithín in Co. Wicklow, will represent Ireland at the International Environment and Sustainability Project Olympiad (NESPO) in the Netherlands in May 2016.

Lúc’s project was entitled ‘An investigation of the potential of pine needles as a new alternative biodiesel source’.

Berlin Long Night of Science Award winners Adam Burke and Eoin Hayes

The Berlin Long Night of Science Award Eoin Hayes and Adam Burke, both in Coláiste Chiaráin in Croom, Co. built and programmed an electronic used in the home to learn Irish Sign ing a computer.

sixth year students Limerick designed, glove that could be Language (ISL) us-

Lúc investigated the possibility of extracting oil from pine needles and processing it into a viable biodiesel.

He then analysed the resulting product and compared it to commercially available fuel products including rapeseed oil and mineral diesel.

The SEAI INESPO Award is sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award

Adam and Eoin’s device works by displaying videos of Irish sign language gestures on a computer screen to the user. The user mimics the gesture shown on the screen and the glove reads the hand position and sends the information to the computer via a Bluetooth module on the glove. If the user correctly imitates the gesture, the program moves to the next letter. If not, they are encouraged to try again.

Cillian Gartlan from Patrician High School In Carrickmacross developed a wearable device capable of storing the medical information of stroke victims. This device which he called ‘Ictus’ should enable doctors to perform quicker and more accurate diagnoses. Cillian predicts that the ‘Ictus’ device will lead to mitigation of the many risks associated with stroke treatment and will improve outcomes.

Eoin and Adam were awarded the Berlin Long Night of Science Award which includes the opportunity travel to Berlin in June. This award is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Cillian was presented with a trophy and a €500 cheque

by Elaine Boyd, Director, Human Resources, Boston Scientific. Galway

SEAI INESPO Award winner Lúc de Barra

Boston Scientific Award winner Cillian Gartlan

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“SciFest is a very important initiative that encourages an interest in STEM among students. Science, technology, engineering and maths are crucial for Ireland’s future economic development and what we are witnessing here are the future entrepreneurs and industrial leaders of our country.”

Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science

New Award for 2015 Spirit of SciFest Award

Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government

In SciFest 2015 a total of more than 7200 students presented projects at local and at regional level. Since the project was launched nationwide in 2008 the number of students that have participated is in excess of 32 000. To celebrate the success and phenomenal growth of the project a new award, ‘The Spirit of SciFest Award’, was presented this year at the national final. The winner of the award was Eve McGlinchey from St Leo’s College, Dublin Road, Carlow. Her project was entitled ‘Voice controlled Automation with Raspberry Pi Technology’.

IOTI Award Each year there are 15 regional SciFest sciences fairs which take place throughout the country. 14 of these are hosted

by Institutes of Technology (IOTs). To celebrate the support of the Institutes a new award, the ‘IOTI Award’, was presented at this year’s national final.

Mark Lyons from Lanesboro CC became the first ever winner of the award for his project entitled ’ The price of Profit - A Statistical Analysis of the Effects of the GMS Charge’.

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ISTA Award

“SciFest is a great example of this effort, and I

The Irish Science Teachers’ Association (ISTA) Award was presented to Liam Passmore from John the Baptist CS, Hospital, Co. Limerick.

have been hugely impressed by both the dedication and the quality of scientific research shown in all these projects. I am delighted to have been able to be here to see first hand these amazing young scientists, thanks to all the parents and teachers for supporting these students, and I wish all involved every success in the

SciFest 2015 Excellence in STEM Awards Each of the students who exhibited on the day was presented with a SciFest@SFI Discover 2015 Excellence in STEM plaque in recognition of their success at the fifteen regional SciFest@College science fairs.

SciFest@SFI Discover Excellence in STEM plaques

future. Finally, a huge

well done to Louis on his great achievement .”

Richard Bruton T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

Oran Ó Donnabháin, Scoil Chaitríona, Dublin; Sarah Sweeney, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Blarney; Conall McCabe, Yeats College, Galway; Claire Nichols, Sutton Park School, Dublin

Hannah Dominguez McLoughlin, Conor Gildea and Claire Barron, Crana College, Buncrana, Co. Donegal; Isabel Dwyer, Ciara Burke and Clodagh Howe, Scoil Chríost Rí, Portlaoise, Co. Laois

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“SciFest was a natural fit for Boston Scientific to partner with in this respect. The promotion of STEM subjects, at second level in particular, is of vital importance.

Our aim is to inspire students to develop a passion for these subjects, thereby ensuring we have a continuous uptake of the science and engineering disciplines at third level. As a result, we are helping to mould the scientists and engineers of the future. SciFest is an excellent opportunity for students to research, explore and develop their own ideas.”

Elaine Boyd, Director, Human Resources, Boston Scientific, Galway

Anna Corcoran, Niamh McNamara and Aine Kelly, Drumshanbo Vocational School, Co. Leitrim; Conor Cantwell and Conor Flynn, CBS Kilkenny; Aine Gillespie and Laura Mc Loughlin, St Mary’s College, Derry; Sophie Sheahan, Skerries CC, Co. Dublin

Boston Scientific Excellence in STEM Plaques

Zainab Baker, Aoife O’Driscoll, Mount Mercy College, Cork; Moritz Ziewer, Cherie O’Keeffe, Jonathan Andrews and David Joyce, Sutton Park School, Dublin; Eleanor Murchan, Loreto Secondary School, Navan, Co. Meath; Timothy McGrath and Donal Brennan, Killorglin CC, Tralee

SEAI Excellence in STEM Plaques

Tom O’Donovan, Robbie Matthews and James Hayes, Clonakilty CC, Co. Cork; Aisling Patterson and Niamh Wilson, Dominican College, Griffith Avenue, Dublin; Lorcan Tuohy, Borrisokane CC, Co. Tipperary; Aoibhe Cronin and Ciara McInerney, Scoil Mhuire, Ennistymon, Co. Clare; Ursula Ní Mhochóir, Janine Ní Chonchúir and Lorraine De Nais, Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, Tralee, Co. Kerry

All of the finalists’ project abstracts may be viewed at the following link: http://scifest.ie/resources

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SciFest@School

Contact Us

Fifteen schools have participated in the SciFest@School strand of the SciFest project since the start of the current school year. Congratulations to all the teachers and students involved.

e: sheila.porter@scifest.ie e: george.porter@scifest.ie e: aoife.cannon@scifest.ie

1.

 St David's Holy Faith Secondary School, Greystones, Co Wicklow

2.

 Loreto College, St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2

3.

 Skerries Community College, Skerries, Co Dublin

4.

 St Andrew's College, Blackrock, Co Dublin

5.

 Lansboro Community College, Lansboro, Co Longford

Please check the website

6.

 Templemichael College, Templemichael, Co Longford

regularly for updates

7.

 Ardscoil Phadraig, Granard, Co Longford

8.

 CBS Roscommon, Abbeytown, Roscommon, Co Roscommon

9.

 Loreto College, Mullingar, Co Westmeath

m: 086 379 6143 w: www.scifest.ie

Closing date for receipt of entries to

10.  Mount Anville Secondary School, Mount Anville Road, Dublin 14

SciFest@College 2016 is:

11.  St Nathy's College, Ballaghadereen, Co Roscommon 12.  Loreto Secondary School, St Michaels, Navan, Co Meath

Friday 11 March 2016

13.  Creagh College, Gorey, Co Wexford 14.  St Paul's Community College, Browne's Road, Waterford, Co Waterford 15.  Blackrock College, Rock Road, Blackrock, Co Dublin

More information on hosting a

SciFest@School science fair may be found on

the SciFest website or contact SciFest directly using the contact us link on the website or the details provided in the box on the right.

The dates for the

SciFest@College regional science fairs are being posted on

the website as they become available.

Please note that there will be an additional regional fair in DCU on 6 May, bringing the total number of regional SciFest science fairs to 16.

There are a number of major awards presented at each of the 16 venues including the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award, the Intel Award, the PharmaChemical Ireland Chemistry Award, the ESERO Space Award, the SEAI Award and the EPI-STEM Maths in Science award. Please check out the website for details.

Science

are

an

important

element

in

promoting

a

centred,

fairs

student-

inquiry-based

approach to STEM skill development.

Students

are motivated to develop their own scientific investigations, develop models, collect, analyse and interpret data, draw infer-

SciFest Science Week 2015 Science Quiz There was a huge response to the online SciFest Science Week Quiz 2015 with 838 entries.

Congratulations to First Year student, Anna Nic Dhonncha. Anna’s iPod is on its way.

ences, display, communicate

and defend their

findings at a science fair and receive feedback on

Our Partners and Sponsors

their investigation.

Institutes of Technology and DCU St Mary’s College,

Leonard Hobbs Public Affairs Director Intel Ireland