SciFest Ezine, Volume 11, Number 1, September 2019

SCIFEST EZINE, VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1, SEPTEMBER 2019

SCIFEST EZINE What the students are saying!

SciFest

90% of respondents would recommend taking part in SciFest to others 87% agree they learned a lot 72% feel more ambitious

SciFest External Evaluation Sinéad Begley & Associates July 2019

69% have an increased interest in Leaving Cert Science 72% learned more about STEM careers

SciFest Celebrates Yet Another Very Successfull Year!

SciFest 2019 – The Numbers 10,000+ Students

99 STEM Fairs

In this issue:

700+ Teachers

~ 80 SciFest@School Fairs

4300+ Projects

~ 16 SciFest@College fairs

300+ Schools

~ 1 SciFest@Teen-Turn

International Award 2019

29 Counties

~ 1 SciFest@TCPID

Adam Kelly Triumphs at

700+ Judges

~ 1 National Final

EUCYS

3

STEM Outreach Award

3

Participation in the following:

2019 National Final

2

Broadcom MASTERS 2

How to organise a

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), Phoenix, Arizona

SciFest@School

4

The Broadcom MASTERS International Programme (Phoenix, Arizona)

SciFest@School Awards

5

Contact details

6

The Berlin Long Night of Science (Berlin, Germany) SciFest External Evaluation Sinéad Begley & Associates July 2019

SciFest 2019 National Final STUDENTS TO COMPETE TO REPRESENT IRELAND AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR (ISEF) 2020 IN ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA The SFI Best Project Award winners from the 16 regional SciFest@College 2019 STEM fairs will participate in a national final competition on 22 November 2019 in the Marino Conference Centre in Dublin. As in previous years a number of the Abbott Runner-up Best Project Award winners will also be invited to participate in the national final. Following the completion of the regional SciFest@College 2019 STEM fairs the runners-up were invited to submit their project report books to SciFest by 27 September. A panel of judges appointed by SciFest will assess the projects, based on the report books, and will select the projects to go forward to participate in the national final. A competition for the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Grand Award will also take place at the National Final.

The top prize on the day is the SciFest 2019 Science Foundation Ireland ISEF Award. This consists of a trophy and an all expenses-paid trip for the winning student(s) (accompanied by their teacher) to represent Ireland at ISEF in Anaheim, California in May 2020. The runner/s-up

SCIFEST NATIONAL FINAL : SPECSAVERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE AWARD Following the completion of the 16 regional SciFest@College

on the day will receive a trophy and an all

2019 STEM fairs the winners of the Specsavers

expenses-paid

Making

trip

(accompanied

by

their

a

Difference

Award

were

asked

to

teacher) to the Berlin Long Night of Science in

forward their project report books to SciFest

June 2020. This award is supported by the

CLG. A panel of judges representing SciFest and

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A third

Specsavers will assess the projects, based on

travel Award to attend the Broadcom MASTERS

the

International programme in Anaheim, California

projects to go forward to compete for the

will be presented to a junior student in a

inagural Specsavers Making a Difference Grand

separate competition on the day.

Award at the National Final 2019.

report

books,

and

select

a

number

of

SCIFEST NATIONAL FINAL: SCIFEST@BROADCOM MASTERS AWARD

SciFest is delighted to announce that it has been invited to participate for a second year running in the Broadcom MASTERS International programme which will take place in Anaheim, California in May 2020. Éabha Kenny, Convent of Mercy, Meán-Scoil Muire Gan Smál, Co. Roscommon who represented SciFest at last year's Broadcom MASTERS programme in Phoenix, Arizona said of her experience

"What you see at the Broadcom is a whole new world, and completely different to classroom work."

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Adam Kelly, SciFest 2018 Overall Winner, triumphs at Intel ISEF 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona and EUCYS 2019 in Sofia, Bulgaria ISEF is the world’s largest and oldest international pre-college science competition.

Through a global network of local, regional and national science fairs around 1,800 top students from over 80 countries, regions and territories are selected each year to participate in ISEF for approximately $5 million in awards and scholarships.

Intel ISEF 2019, Phoenix, Arizona Adam Kelly, Overall winner of SciFest 2018

participate in the week-long Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar (SIYSS) which includes attendance

The

a

at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm in December.

remarkable journey for Adam. This started

His success did not stop there; he also received a first

with his being named the SciFest national

prize in his category, Systems Software for which he will

champion at the SciFest National Final last

have an asteroid named after him, and a Best in Category

November. Adam participated in the National

Award. Adam received a total of $8,000 for himself, $1,000

Final having won the SFI Best Project Award

for his school and $1,000 for SciFest.

at

last

the

twelve

SciFest

months

have

regional

been

fair

in

IT

Blanchardstown the previous May. As a result

At the BTYSTE 2019 in January Adam was named BT Young

of winning the overall award at the SciFest

Scientist and Technologist of the Year. It was the winning

National Final Adam represented Ireland at

of this award which led to his representing Ireland at

the

EUCYS

Intel

International

Science

and

in

Sofia.

Ireland

was

one

of

39

countries

Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona in

represented by a total of 155 students at EUCYS and Adam

May where he won a number of awards. He

was one of four top award winners who each received a

was awarded the Dudley R. Herschbach SIYSS

prize

Award, which is one of the competition’s top

opportunity to participate in the London International

three most prestigious accolades. This means

Youth Science Forum 2020. We at SciFest are all very

he will be one of 25 students who will

proud of Adam and wish him every success for the future.

of

€7,000.

Adam's

award

also

included

the

SCIFEST NATIONAL FINAL : SCIFEST 2019 STEM OUTREACH AWARD The SciFest 2019 STEM Outreach Award is an opportunity for SciFest National Finalists to communicate their findings via a 2 minute online video. The video with the most votes, cast via SciFest's website, will be presented with a special award at the SciFest 2019 National Final on 22 November. The STEM Outreach Award was introduced at last year's National Final and proved to be a resounding success.

The STEM Outreach Award 2018 in Numbers 13

videos uploaded

15,500

votes cast

121

hours watched

A selection of the SciFest 2018 STEM Outreach Award videos may be viewed on the SciFest Facebook Channel on the following link.

PAGE 3

How to Organise a SciFest@Schooll A SciFest@School can be held at any time during the school year. A registration form may be downloaded from the website www.scifest.ie.

In order to supply the student certificates and 'freebies' SciFest needs to know the number of students so teachers are advised to fill out the registration form as soon as they have decided on a suitable date.

What the teachers are saying!

SciFest External Evaluation Sinéad Begley & Associates July 2019

PAGE 4

100% agree SciFest@School is inclusive, 96% agree it is suitable for all abilities 95% agree it has increased the profile of science in the school Respondents rate their experience as 9.53 out of 10 on average, with no respondent rating it lower than 8

SciFest@School Awards for 2019/20 Each Year SciFest provides a number of awards for SciFest@School fairs, the sixteen regional SciFest@College fairs and the National Final. In SciFest@School the awards consist of One4All tokens and rosettes.

Best Project Award

Runner-up Best Project Award

€20 One4All tokens and

€15 One4All tokens and

Rosettes

Rosettes

(Max. 3)

(Max. 3)

Allergan Young Innovator Award

Society of Irish Foresters (SOIF) Award

Rosettes (Max. 3)

Rosettes (Max. 3)

Each participating student in SciFest@School also receives a SciFest@School certificate and two promotional items such as a SciFest wristband and a SciFest pen.

Details of all SciFest awards can be found on the website www.scifest.ie.

Speaking about its sponsorship of the Allergan

Speaking of the SOIF Award Pacelli Breathnach,

Young Innovator Award, Paul Coffey, VP,

CPD Administrator, Society of Irish Foresters

Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland, Westport Site

said:

said:

"We are delighted to be involved with the 2019/2020 SciFest awards and look forward to seeing all the exciting and creative ideas from

"The award should be presented to projects that have a focus on plant biology and forestry. Examples of such projects include:

this year’s entrants. It’s great to be part of an

trees/forests

initiative that encourages young people to get

trees/forests and the natural environment;

involved

technology in forest management; forestry in

support,

in we

the

sciences

hope

to

and,

through

inspire

the

our next

the

and

local/national

climate

economy;

the

change;

role

of

generation of leaders in our field. We look

timber in high carbon product substitution;

forward to the positive results and experiences

effects

it will bring for students, who represent the

and/or recreation."

future of our industry."

of

trees/forests

on

human

health

SciFest

What the stakeholders are saying!

SciFest supports and aligns with a range of stakeholder objectives in relation to STEM, including access and diversity, nurturing the STEM talent pool, promoting STEM careers and targeting specific STEM skills shortages SciFest provides positive public relations for stakeholders SciFest, which is widely recognised as an important informal

SciFest External Evaluation Sinéad Begley & Associates July 2019

STEM learning opportunity, also integrates with teaching of both the GCSE Science Curriculum in Northern Ireland and the Junior Cycle Science Specification in the Republic of Ireland

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Join SciFest as a Champion of Inclusion and Diversity in STEM Education

Email: info@scifest.ie

Mobile: 086 379 6143

Website: www.scifest.ie

Instagram: @SciFest4STEM

Twitter: @SciFest4STEM

Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/sp13/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/scifest.ie

YouTube: www.youtube.com/scifest

Yudu Express: https://express.yudu.com/library/36115/SciFest-s-Library PAGE 6