Scifest Ezine, Volume 12, Number 1, September 2020

September 2020

SCIFEST EZINE

Vol 12 Issue 11

Where Innovation Meets Creativity

Inside this Issue SCIFEST 2020 NATIONAL FINAL

SCIFEST@COLLEGE 2020 ONLINE

The SciFest 2020 National Final is Going Virtual! p. 02

SciFest@College 2020 Online The SSP Award for Community Innovation p. 03

SCIFEST@SCHOOL 2020/2021 Support to Run a SciFest@School 2020/2021 Resources and Judging p. 04

SCIFEST GOES VIRTUAL! When the schools closed suddenly on 12 March more than 3,500 students had registered to participate in SciFest@College 2020.

Faced with the challenge of not disappointing these students who had worked so hard on their projects and their teachers it was decided to run the 16 regional SciFest@College fairs as online competitions. This was a huge success with over 860 students submitting projects.

We are now in the process of planning a virtual SciFest 2020 National Final which will take place in November. We are very excited as going digital is an opportunity to make competing in the SciFest National final more exciting for students than ever before.

SCIFEST@GYSTB 2020 SciFest Student Brings Home Gold at International Science and Technology Fair p. 05

SCIFEST ALUMNI NEWS SciFest Students Continue to Make an Impression in the STEM World.

Contact Details p. 06

SEPTEMBER 2020

VOL 12 ISSUE 11

THE SCIFEST 2020 NATIONAL FINAL IS GOING VIRTUAL!

This year’s SciFest National Final is going virtual.

The SciFest 2020 National Final will take place on a specially designed online platform from Thursday 19 November to Saturday 21 November. We are very excited to be able to welcome

not

only

students,

teachers

and

parents

to

SciFest 2020 National Final

this

inspiring showcase of young people’s research but also, for the first time, the general public.

Provisional Programme

The SciFest National Final is not just a STEM fair but a celebration of all things STEM, providing an opportunity for the most talented second-level students from all over Ireland to present their research and innovation and share their ideas and their vision for the future. At the final the SFI Best Project Award winners and a selection of the Runner-up Award winners from the 16 regional SciFest@College 2020 Online STEM fairs will compete for a range of valuable prizes, including the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The event will also include special

competitions

for

selected

winners

of

the

Boston

Scientific Medical Devices Award and of the Specsavers Making a Difference Award at the regional fairs.

Thursday 19 November: Official Opening and guest speaker Friday 20 November: STEM related talks and presentations Saturday 21 November: Awards Ceremony live from a TV studio Monday 16 – Friday 27 November: The platform will be live providing an opportunity for the public to view the finalists’ projects, vote for their favourite project and test their scientific knowledge in daily competitions.

More information about the full programme, which will include a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions, will be shared in the coming days and weeks.

The main programme will officially open with a special guest speaker on the Thursday evening followed by a series of exciting STEM-related talks and presentations on Friday and Saturday morning. The Awards Ceremony will take place live from a TV studio on Saturday afternoon. There will be an opportunity to view the finalists’ projects, vote for your favourite project and test your scientific knowledge in daily competitions from Friday 13 November.

More information

about the full programme, which will include a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions, will be shared in the coming days and weeks.

SciFest 2019 overall winner, Timothy McGrath, Community College Killorglin, Co. Kerry.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

VOL 12 ISSUE 11

SciFest@College 2020 Online To enter SciFest@College 2020 Online students were asked to submit their project report book, a short video (optional) and any other supplementary material such as a project poster.

It was amazing the number of students who rose to the

challenge.

868

students

from

144

schools

submitted over 420 projects! Well done to all and special

congratulations

to

all

the

lucky

award

winners. A full list of the winners is posted on the SciFest website.

In recognition of their achievement all participating

Sean Moloney and Michael Ware St. Brogan's College, Bandon, Co. Cork

students receive a specially designed certificate.

The trophies, One4All tokens and certificates are currently being sent out to the schools.

SciFest@College 2020 Online Some Interesting Facts

A very sincere Thank You to the 180 teachers who, in very difficult circumstances, found the time to

MALE

FEMALE

LIFE SCIENCES

27.4%

72.6%

PHYSICAL SCIENCES

40.1%

59.9%

TECHNOLOGY

53.4%

46.6%

support and encourage their students to participate in the online competition. A big Thank You also to the regional SciFest@College judges and the judges on the Scifest panel who took time out of their busy schedules to judge the projects.

The Society for Science and the Public Award for Community Innovation SciFest was selected for the second year running to receive a Society for Science & the Public (SSP) Community Innovation Award to present at a SciFest fair. The $500 award is for a deserving project participating in a local science fair that has made an impact in the community.

The SciFest@College 2020 Online winners of the SSP 2020 Award were Sean Moloney and Michael Ware from St. Brogan's College, Bandon, Co. Cork. Their project was titled, "To research the challenges of transitioning from primary to secondary school for students with autism and develop an information book to help ease their transition". Well done to Sean and Michael and to their teacher, Norma Sheahan.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

VOL 12 ISSUE 11

SciFest@School 2020/2021 We are delighted to confirm that participation in the SciFest@School strand of the SciFest programme will

While Covid-19 guidelines continue to advise

continue to be available for the academic year

against bringing classes of students together a

2020/2021.

SciFest@School fair could:

At SciFest we encourage teachers to continue to

Consist of a series of class fairs, with overall

celebrate STEM in their school by hosting an in-school

winners selected from the winners from

SciFest STEM fair. The usual resources (see below) will be available from SciFest except that, until the Covid19 restrictions are lifted, it will not be possible for SciFest representatives and external judges to visit schools. As in previous years a SciFest@School fair can be as big or as small as suits the individual school.

each class Be held virtually; students could be invited to participate in a Virtual SciFest@School and to submit their projects to the teacher via email or WeTransfer.com

SciFest@School Resources Schools registering for their first SciFest@School STEM fair and teachers organising a fair for the first time receive a SciFest@School teacher’s pack (also downloadable from the website). Resources in the pack include judging guidelines, a module for first years, sample projects, posters and a TY module.

Each participating student receives a SciFest@School certificate Each participating student receives two ‘freebies’, e.g. SciFest pen, SciFest wristband, SciFest ruler SciFest provides a number of awards which, for suitable projects, may include: 1. SciFest Best Project Award - rosette plus €20 One4all token to each winner (maximum 3 per group) 2. SciFest Runner-up Best Project Award - rosette plus €15 One4all token to each winner (maximum 3 per group) 3. SciFest Special Award Rosettes, details to be confirmed Note: Normally only one set of awards will be provided to a school.

A school completing five SciFest@School STEM fairs (one fair per year) will receive a SciFest@School STEM Award (framed certificate and a digital badge for the school website) in recognition of their commitment to supporting STEM in their school.

Note: Resource materials to support the organisation of a SciFest@School STEM fair are available in the resources section of the SciFest website; an increasing number of these are also available in Irish.

SciFest@School Judges Until restrictions are lifted teachers are encouraged to invite other staff members to judge submitted projects at their SciFest@School fair and to select the award winners. Alternatively, the teacher may select up to 5 projects to be judged online via Zoom by a SciFest judge or they may submit up to 5 project report books via WeTransfer to be judged by a SciFest judge.

In the case of a Virtual SciFest@School fair the projects could be judged by staff members or external judges organised by the teacher. As mentioned above the top 5 projects could also be submitted to SciFest for a final judging.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

Gold

SCIFEST STUDENT BRINGS HOME GOLD AT

Award

INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FAIR! SciFest Ruth

THEA

award

Madden

College,

in

Speaking about her Award,

winner,

from

Ruth said:

Largy Co.

"I'm delighted to have received

Monaghan represented Ireland

the Gold Award in Physics and

and SciFest at the virtual Hong

Engineering at the inaugural

Kong Global Youth Science and

Global Youth Science and

Technology Bowl (GYSTB) 2020

Technology competition in Hong

in August and claimed a Gold

Kong. The Award though, does

Award

not just recognise my efforts, but

for

Clones,

her

project,

"The

Microplastic Filter - A Small

is an acknowledgement of the

Solution to a Global Problem".

essential support and our

encouragement given and shown

environment as a matter of growing domestic and international

to me by, not only my family, but

concern Ruth’s project focussed on reducing the volume of

by the principal and staff of

microplastics entering the environment through wastewater from

Largy College and in particular,

domestic washing machines. Ruth’s aim was to design and

Ms. Colette Smith, my science

construct a permanent, cost efficient, low maintenance filtration

teacher, whose never ending

unit capable of intercepting microplastics in wastewater. After

enthusiasm and willingness to

several redesigns and prototypes Ruth’s final filtration unit is

help was crucial to my success

capable of intercepting microplastics as small as 0.1 mm/100

during the difficult academic

microns and can be retrofitted to existing standard domestic

environment which arose from

Recognising

the

prevalence

and

impact

of

plastic

in

wastewater infrastructure.

COVID-19. It would be remiss of me not to also express my sincere

Two other SciFest students succeeded in winning awards at

thanks to Science Foundation

GYSTB 2020. Timothy McGrath from Killorglin Community

Ireland and SciFest who through

College, Kerry won a first-place award in the Biology and

their unbelievable support,

Chemistry category and Alice Shaughnessy, Calasanctius College,

afforded me this wonderful

Galway won a third-place award in the Physics and Engineering

opportunity."

category.

GYSTB is organized by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups. Judging was broadcast live globally on 1 August. The competition

attracted

entries

from 22 countries and regions across the globe. Ninety-three finalists

were

selected

for

online judging.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

VOL 12 ISSUE 11

September 2019

Vol 1 Issue 21

Contact us: E: info@scifest.ie M: 0863796143 W: www.scifest.ie

Follow SciFest on:

ALUMNI NEWS

Alice Shaughnessy and Jack O'Regan Kenny

Christopher Carragher Former SciFest and Intel ISEF

IAaron Hannon Congratulations to Aaron Hannon

winner, Christopher Carragher

Well done to Alice Shaughnessy and to Jack

who was recently selected as a

worked with a team of engineers

O'Regan Kenny who participated in this

2020 JCI Ten Outstanding Young

and software designers in

summer's Dogpatch Labs Accelerator

Persons of the World honoree in

Combilift to develop the Combi-

Programme working to design and develop

the category of medical

Ventilate, a splitter device which

the Mirr Touch Screen Mirror.

innovation.

multiple ventilation stations to

Jack originally came up with the idea of

Since the beginning of the global

address the shortage of

Mirr and at Dogpatch was joined by Alice to

pandemic Aaron has dedicated his

ventilators in the current Covid-

bring the project to fruition. Mirr (Mirr.ie)

time to the needs of patients

19 emergency.

is a touch screen mirror fitted with a variety

battling COVID-19. He was part of

of apps that allows you to follow along with

two multidisciplinary teams

Christopher was the overall

makeup tutorials, watch Netflix or listen to

working to develop a solution for

winner of SciFest 2014. As a

Spotify, all while remaining usable as a

open-source, low-cost ventilators,

result Christopher, who was

mirror.When not in use, the mirror returns

and he hopes devices like this can

attending Our Lady’s Secondary

to a mirror. However, with makeup

be used in the longer term to

School, Castleblaney at the time,

applications, in particular, you can keep half

reduce inequality in medical

represented Ireland and SciFest

of the mirror reflective while following

device innovation. Aaron and

at the Intel International Science

along with a makeup tutorial on the other

Medical student Emily

and Engineering Fair 2015 (Intel

half.

Wallace were instrumental in

turns one ventilator into

fundraising for the emergency

ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Christopher came

Alice won the Intel Technology Award at the

ventilators and raised €150,000

second in the Computational

SciFest 2019 National Final. She went on to

through a Go Fund Me initiative.

Biology and Bioinformatics

represent Ireland at Regeneron ISEF 2020

Category. He went on to study

and GYSTB 2020 where she was awarded

Aaron Hannon was the overall

engineering in DCU and having

third place in the Engineering and Physics

winner of SciFest 2017 and went on

graduated with a first class

Category. Jack O'Regan Kenny participated

to win a First Place Category

honours degree started work in

in SciFest@AIT 2017 where he won an award

Award in Embedded Systems at

Combilift.

in the Technology Category.

Intel ISEF 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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