SciFest Ezine, Volume 1, Number 3, January 2010

SciFest

January 2010

Issue 3

SciFest 2010 - EXPLORE, INNOVATE, COMMUNICATE and EXCEL Nine of the 14 Institutes of Technology have now set dates for their SciFest Science Fairs.

DIT: Thursday 15 April

WIT: Tuesday 20 April

As the dates of the remaining fairs become

AIT: Friday 23 April

CIT:

available they will be posted on the Exhibition

Tuesday 27 April

LIT: Tuesday 27 April

Dates and Contacts page of the website.

IT Carlow:

Wednesday 5 May

Please check regularly for updates.

IT Sligo:

Thursday 6 May

Entry forms will be downloadable from the

IT Tallaght: Friday 7 May IT Tralee:

website from 1 February and the closing date

Wednesday 12 May

for receipt of entries is Friday 12 March 2010.

SciFest Winner goes on to become the BT Young Scientist of the Year 2010 Congratulations to Richard O’Shea, Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál, Blarney, Co. Cork who exhibited at SciFest 2009, Cork Institute of Technology. At SciFest he was awarded first prize in the Senior Technology Category and the Discover Sensors Award. He later went on to become the BT Young Scientist of the Year 2010 at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) for his project, “A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countries”.

Well done also to Kevin Bluett (Best Project award winner at SciFest 2009 Institute of Technology, Carlow) who was awarded first place in the SciFest 2009 CIT - Richard O’Shea at his stand.

Senior Individual Category, Technology and to Henrik Bruesecke (Best Project award winner at SciFest 2009 Letterkenny Institute of Technology)

who was awarded second place in the same category. Henrik also won the Smart Technologies Award. Congratulations to all the other SciFest 2009 participants who won category and highly commended awards. It was lovely to see so many SciFest 2009 participants continue with their research and qualify to exhibit at the BTYSTE 2010.

Kevin Bluett, Meánscoil na mBráithre Críostaí, Kilkenny

Mairin Ryan, Our Lady’s Bower, Athlone (Second place, Junior Category, Physical Sciences, SciFest 2009 AIT) – First place Junior Category, Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences BTYSTE 2010

Henrik Bruesecke, St. Columba’s Comprehensive School, Co Donegal

2 Secondary School, Louth, (Best

SciFest Competition Winners – Intel Stand

Project award winner, SciFest

BTYSTE 2010

Michaela Begley, St Vincent’s

DkIT and Dr Breda Brennan, SciFest Coordinator DkIT) – First place,

Junior

Category,

Technology, BTYSTE 2010

Luke Edward Harding Bradley, Co Dublin, Age 7 with Sheila Porter, SciFest National Coordinator

1. Match the Engineer to the Job – ipod winners Exhibitors from Coláiste Ailigh, Letterkenny at the BTYSTE 2010

Thursday

Donnacha O’Reilly, Co Laois

Friday

Aimee Phelan, Co Galway

Saturday

Niamh McSweeney, Co Kerry

2. The Chemistry of Water Crossword Competition

SciFest

Best

Project

award

winner 2025?

Ainnir

Thursday

Lucy Cullen, Co Wicklow

Friday

Hannah Weber, Co Dublin

Saturday

Keelin Rogers, Co Meath

and her mother Siobhán

visit the SciFest stand at the BTYSTE 2010

3. Name the Animal Crossword Thursday

Jack Gillen, Co Meath

Friday

Niamh Sheehan, Co Dublin

Saturday

Luke Edward Harding Bradley, Co Dublin

SciFest – Some hints on getting started 1. Generate a bit of excitement and enthusiasm for SciFest with the YouTube video SciFest 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YgkYYaCUk 2. Practical work in science requires the students to be divided into groups but before beginning project work it is a good idea to spend a single period discussing the advantages of group work and how ‘real’ scientists collaborate to solve real-world problems.

3. Emphasise to the students that as part of a group working on a project they will be taking responsibility for their own learning and that you, the teacher, will take on the role of facilitator, mentor and resource person.

4. Divide

the

class

into

groups

of

three.

For

guidelines

on

group

selection

go

to

www.juniorscience.ie – Science Education – Teaching & Learning Methodology – Group Work.

5. Show the PowerPoint Presentation ‘SciFest – Student Presentation’ – www.scifest.ie Support for Teachers. On the website you will also find a downloadable module ‘Science by Inquiry’ and a number of project ideas and resources.

6. Explain that each group must come up with a research question within a given timeframe and that each group will have to present their research idea to the rest of the class on an agreed day.

3 7. Give the students time to discuss their ideas. Run the discussion over at least two single periods so that they have time to discuss their ideas at home. Spend time with each group, encouraging them to stay focussed and come up with a clear idea.

8. Get each group to present their research question. Encourage the other groups to evaluate each suggested project using the following criteria: (a) Is the project feasible? (b) Is there enough time to finish the project? (c) Are the required resources available? (d) Can actual measurements be taken? (e) Is the project safe? (f) Is the idea original? If not, how could it be made more original?

9. When all the presentations are complete give the students time to discuss and refine their ideas.

This done ask each group to brainstorm and come up with a written research plan. This plan should include: the hypothesis, resources required, experimental plan, team roles and responsibilities and a timetable.

10. Collect up two copies of each group’s research plan. Review, comment and hand back one copy.

Keep the other copy for future reference. You may have to give some extra help to some groups that are falling behind.

The students are now ready to begin work on their projects.

Discover Sensors Award – www.discoversensors.ie Discover Sensors, a Junior Certificate Science support project of Discover Science and Engineering, is delighted to be involved in SciFest 2010 and will be presenting a Discover Sensors Award at each host Institute of Technology.

Winner

Highly Commended

School Prize: Trophy Student Prize: €50 (group €100) in one4all vouchers Teacher Prize: Creative VADO mini camcorder

School Prize: Trophy Student Prize: €30 (group €60) in one4all vouchers Teacher Prize: Creative VADO mini camcorder

The Discover Sensors award is presented to a student science project which demonstrates a high level of application of investigative science methodologies that include the innovative use of one or more sensors for the collection, recording and analysis of data.

Each project entering into the Discover Sensors Award must keep a blog of their SciFest project on Project Blogger. Full details of how to set up a blog and a step by step guide are available on the Project Blogger website (www.projectblogger.ie)

4

Regional News Institute of Technology Tralee The Institute of Technology, Tralee issued a call for entries to SciFest at the launch of SciFest 2010 IT Tralee on Friday 13 November. The launch was held in the Institute and a press release was issued to local and national newspapers.

SciFest Organising Committee, Institute of Technology, Tralee

“The Institute is delighted to host SciFest 2010 and we have organised a wide range of activities to engage

students

which

should

prove

an

Photographs from the Launch of SciFest 2010, IT Tralee

inspirational and fun learning experience. We are also

appreciative

of

the

local

support

and

generosity of Dairymaster.” said Dr. Joseph Walsh,

ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2010

Representative from SciFest Organising Committee and School of Engineering and Construction

Does your SciFest project have an Environmental angle?

Studies, Institute of Technology, Tralee.

If so, you can also register it for ECO-UNESCO's Young Environmentalist Awards 2010, and double your chance

Institute of Technology Sligo Dr

Bill

Crowe,

IT

Sligo

of winning great prizes! Project submission deadline: SciFest

Regional

26 February, but the earlier you register, the more

Coordinator is currently designing a website for

support

SciFest 2010 IT Sligo to supplement sending out

Environmentalist Awards team. See www.ecounesco.ie

information on the event. It is not yet online but will

or contact Dharsh Pillay at yea@ecounesco.ie for more

contain photographs of last year’s event, entry

information."

you

can

receive

from

forms, etc.

Gold Sponsors

SciFest is jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science and Engineering as project partners

our

Young