SciFest
www.scifest.ie
e n i z E t s e SciF Volume 5, Issue 1 September 2013
Pr esid en t Mi ch a el D Hi gg in s sol e Patron of SciFest
President Michael D Higgins
‘I will champion creative communities who are bringing about positive change at local level by giving recognition to their
achievements on the national stage. I believe that when we encourage the seedbed of creativity in our communities and ensure that each child and adult has the opportunity for creative expression, we also lay the groundwork for sustainable employment in creative industries and enrich our social, cultural and economic development.’ Inaugural speech of President Michael D Higgins 11 November 2011
We are delighted to announce that President Michael D Higgins has agreed to be the Patron of SciFest. This is a great honour for the project and we would like to thank the President for his endorsement of SciFest in agreeing to our request for patronage. We very much look forward to welcoming the President to some of our events over the coming years.
Inside this issue: SciFest National Final
2
Women Invent Tomorrow
2
SciFest 2013—SFI/DSE Best Project Award Winners
3
SciFest Website—Support and Resources
4
Scifest—Levels of Participa-
5
A Mini Project for First Years
6
Follow the Steps of the Scientific Method
7
Contact Details
8
SciFest 2013
8
Chemistry Competition Dates for your Diary
SCIFEST 2013 RECORD BREAKING NUMBER OF ENTRIES 5368 STUDENTS PRESENT 2262 PROJECTS 32% INCREASE IN PARTICIPATION SciFest@School 2013
SciFest@College 2013
Science Fairs held in 14 Institutes of Technology and the University of Ulster
3490 students presented 1519 projects – 62.5% Female, 37.5% Male
398 teachers from 233 schools participated
129 SciFest trophies and more than €3700
Additional trophies and prizes awarded by each IT and UU
Science Fairs held in 22 schools 2322 students presented 941 projects More than 60 teachers participated More than 200 prizes awarded
in One4All tokens awarded
Special points of interest: President Michael D Higgins becomes sole Patron of SciFest SciFest 2013 breaks all previous records Scifest National Final to be held in the Science Gallery on 22 November 2013 7 March 2014—Closing date for receipt of entries to SciFest 2014
8
PAGE 2
SCIFEST EZINE
SciFest National Final The SciFest National Final will take place on 22 November in the Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin. The SFI/DSE Best Project Award winner/s from each of the 15 SciFest @College 2013 venues will be given the opportunity to present their projects to a team of judges, their teachers, parents and invited guests. The prize for the overall winner(s) at this national competition will include the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2014 which will take place in Los Angeles, California from 11-16 May 2014. The winner(s) will be accompanied at ISEF by their teacher/mentor and all expenses will be paid.
SciFest@CIT 2013 Best Project award winner, Lisa Higgins is congratulated by her brother
Congratulations to Simon Bluett from CBS, Secondary School Kilkenny, overall winner
in 2012. Simon competed at Intel ISEF 2013 which was held last May in Phoenix, Arizona.
Women Invent Tomorrow
Join in survey as part of STEM research project The gender gap in science and maths is universal. Here in Ireland, Accenture is leading a research project to better understand what influences the choices of girls at junior cycle in post-primary schools when it comes to subject and career choices relating to science, technology, engineering and maths. The research surveys will be available for completion online from 16 - 27 September among teachers, students, parents and career guidance counsellors. Please take the time to complete the survey and encourage others to do the same. For more details and to access survey, please click on http://www.siliconrepublic.com/special-events/53women-invent-tomorrow/ The research forms part of a not-for-profit initiative by siliconrepublic.com called Women Invent Tomorrow.
Today SciFest, tomorrow the world
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1
PAGE 3
SciFest 2013 SFI/DSE Best Project Award Winners Venue AIT
CIT
DIT
DkIT
School
Teacher
Student /s
Project Title
Age Category
Project Type
St Mary's Secondary School, Edenderry, Co. Offaly Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney, Co. Cork
Mary Farrell Robert O'Reilly Triona Walsh
A Boat ….. Float?
Senior
Sean Foley
Travel Safe
Intermediate Individual
Technology
Skerries Community College, Co. Dublin Coláiste Rís, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Katie Corbett Tom Mc Donald
Coastal erosion in Skerries
Senior
Physical Sciences
Evan Markey Conor Begley
Early Warning of Concentrated Intertermedi- Individual Hygrogen Sulphide Gas ate
Lisa Higgins
Group
Group
Physical Sciences
Technology
Group
Life Sciences
Amplitute of Accommodation of Intermediate Group Students' Eyes
Life Sciences
ITTral Mercy Mounthawk Mary Enright T Darragh Clark Secondary School, Colin McDaid Tralee, Co. Kerry Diarmuid O’Connor LIT Presentation Sec- Michele Rachel Byrne ondary School, Morris Aoife Ryan Tipp Thurles, Co. Tipperary LIT Colaiste Chiarain, Edel Farrell Conor Foy Croom, Co. Limerick
The anaesthetic effect of natu- Junior ral plant oils on goldfish
GMIT
Dominican College, Aoife Fallon Etornam Glavee Taylor's Hill, Kíla Vallely Co. Galway Anna Illyuk
Mussels as an Indicator of Wa- Junior ter Quality
ITB
St. Paul's College, Raheny, D 5
Brian Smyth Paul Clarke
Emmerating Hamiltonian Cycles Intermediate Individual in formal graph theory
ITC
Avondale Community College, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Enniscrone, Co. Sligo
Aoife Sullivan
David Flemin Conor Windsor
The Calving Alarm
Helena Ryder
Eamonn Sweeney Investigating the effects of a metronome, delivered by a mobile phone speaker on CPR quality and attitudes towards delivering CPR in untrained
Intermediate Individual
ITS
Project Category
To design and manufacture a device to improve the timing among crew in a rowing boat
Intermediate Group
Junior
Group
Group
Technology
Life Sciences
Physical Sciences Technology
Life Sciences
ITT
Sutton Park School, Catherine Dublin 13 Tattersall
David Joyce Cherie O'Keeffe Wura Arisekola
Using Lenz's law to improve mountain road safety
Junior
Group
Physical Sciences
LyIT
Colaiste Cholmcille, Caitriona Ballyshannon, O'Donnell Co. Donegal
Dallaire Daily Sara Ward Brenna Daily
How music affects your physical Junior performance
Group
Physical Sciences
WIT
Blackwater David King Community School, Lismore, Co. Waterford
Elaine Looby
Biofuel Production from Intermediate Individual lignocellulosic compounds - The Irish Story
Life Sciences
Supercool Physics
Physical Sciences
Derry Lumen Christi Col- Mildred Gill Donna Harkin lege, Derry Sinead Harkin
Junior
Group
PAGE 4
SCIFEST EZINE
SciFest Website–Support & Resources The new look website, www.scifest.ie, was launched in January 2013. The aim of the website is not only to keep you , the teacher, and your students up to date with what is happening on the SciFest scene but also to act as a valuable resource. There are lots of downloadable materials (SciFest STEM Fairs Toolkit) which include the following A ‘Science by Inquiry’ module suitable for
Junior Category projects (NEW) ‘A Science by Inquiry’ module suitable for
Transition Year Project Ideas (REVISED) Start small—10 steps to a successful
SciFest@School Choosing an idea and getting started Impressing the judges Tips for exhibiting at SciFest Report book and presentation Sample rubrics SciFest@College—Teacher and Student
Guidelines Student activities—crosswords, etc. PowerPoint presentations
http://scifest.ie/resources The website is also linked to the SciFest YouTube channel, SciFest Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. It is important to check the website regularly for updates. As the date of each SciFest@College becomes available it will be posted on the website.
‘Research has also shown that the quality of students’ engagement – with the school, with teachers and with learning – is central to developing the skills and competencies that are necessary for students in today’s world…’ A Framework for Junior Cycle, Department of Education and Skills, 2012
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1
PAGE 5
SciFest–levels of participation
4. International – SciFest@Intel ISEF SciFest participated for first time in May 2012. Overall winners of SciFest 2011 competed in ISEF 2012 in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania and came second in their category. One-week science fair, held annually in the USA since 1950.
Some 1500 students from over 440 affiliated science fairs in approximately 65 countries, regions and territories compete for a range of prizes. The projects are judged by a 1200-strong panel of highly-qualified judges.
3. National – SciFest 2014@SFI/DSE Science Gallery Overall winner from each SciFest@College event invited to compete at
a national SciFest fair. All exhibitors are presented with an Excellence in STEM award in recog-
nition of their success at the regional fairs. Overall winner/s receive an all-expenses-paid trip along with their
teacher to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) which is held annually in May in the USA.
2. Regional — Scifest@College One-day science fairs hosted by the Institutes of Technology and the University
of Ulster Open to all second-level students. Accessible and inclusive. Consists of: competition and exhibition of projects, prize-giving ceremony. May
also include: science talks, science demonstrations in the college laboratories and advice on careers in STEM and courses available in the college. Affords students the opportunity to visit a third-level college, and view the facili-
ties.
1. Local — SciFest@School
Second-level schools host their own in-house SciFest science fair. Introduced in 2011.
Support provided by SciFest — SciFest STEM Fairs Toolkit, resources and BKMs on the SciFest website.
In 2013 SciFest@School science fairs were held in 22 Schools.
PAGE 6
SCIFEST EZINE
A mini project for first years
Ask a question about something that you see: How, What, When, Who, Where, Which, or Why? Do roots of a plant grow downwards and the shoots upwards?
Carry out some research – look up the Internet, check out a book and ask your mum or dad. Learn all you can about your question. Is there a name for what happens? What plants would be best to use?
Write out your ‘Hypothesis’. A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work Roots of plants grow downwards and shoots grow upwards.
Design and carry out your experiment Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false.
It is important for your experiment to be a fair test, i.e. you only change one thing at a time while keeping everything else the same. Repeat all your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident. Use broad bean seeds. Get 3 jam jars. Put blotting paper around the inside and fill with compost. Put 4 seeds in each jar, all in different positions. Put the jars in the same amount of light and at the same temperature. Add the same amount of blotting paper, compost and water. You could repeat the experiment using pea seeds. Analyse your data and draw a conclusion Make a chart and as you carry out your experiment write down all your results. When your experiment is finished study your results. Examine them to see if your hypothesis is true or false.
Present your project Finish writing up your report book. Make up your display board and get ready to tell others about your project.
‘Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.’ Carl Sagan
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1
PAGE 7
F o l l ow t h e s t e p s o f the scientific method
Problem
Look around you, ask questions, identify a problem
Statement
and write a hypothesis.
Research
Gather as much information about the topic as possible.
Investigate Design and carry out experiments to test your hypothesis.
Record
Record the results (data) on a table.
Analyse
Look carefully at your results to see if you can see patterns or trends.
Conclude
Come up with a possible solution to your original problem. How do your findings compare to existing knowledge and are they important in the real world?
Present
Be prepared to let others know what you have found out.
SCIFEST EZINE
PAGE 8 Contact Details:
‘I learned a lot on how to do projects
Sheila Porter CEO, SciFest Ltd t: (+353) 86 379 6143 e: sheila.porter@scifest.ie
and organisation. The day was a lot of fun. It also helped my confidence.’
George Porter Assistant CEO, SciFest Ltd t: (+353) 87 798 7885 e: george.porter@scifest.ie
Student comment SciFest 2013 Evaluation Questionnaire
SciFest 2013 is sponsored by
Roche Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency, Institute of Physics, Irish Science Teachers’ Association (ISTA), Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd., Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI), Beckman Coulter (LIT), Cook Medical Ireland (LIT), Limerick County Council Environmental Section (LIT), Janssen Pharmaceuticals (CIT), Student Services Co. Ltd (CIT)
SciFest 2013 Special Chemistry COMPETITION
This year SciFest has partnered with PharmaChemical Ireland, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and CALMAST to organise a special chemistry competition for the student winners of the PharmaChemical Ireland ‘Chemistry Award’ and the teacher winners of the RSC ‘Teacher of Chemistry’. There will be lots of prizes including a school award sponsored by Lennox which will include the following:
PASCO SPARK SLS Datalogger PASCO Chemistry sensor (all in one sensor reading: pH, Temperature -30to +130oC, Pressure 0-700kPa, Voltage) Pre-Built Molecular Model: Carbon /Graphite
• Pre-Built Molecular Model: Diamond
Pre-Built Molecular Model: Ice H2O
• Pre-Built Molecular Model: Sodium chloride
Pre-Built Molecular Model: Calcium carbonate
• Pre-Built Molecular Model: Caesium chloride
Pre-Built Molecular Model: Fullerene C60
•
DVD: The Amazing Mole
• DVD: What is Chemistry?
Pre-Built Molecular Model: Zinc Blende
Further details will be posted on the website: www.scifest.ie
Dates for your diary Date
Event
28/9/2013
IOP Frontiers of Physics Teacher Conference, UCC
5/10/2013
FÉILTE—Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence, Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin
15—16/11/2013
Conference for Teachers of Mathematics, National University of Ireland Maynooth
12-20/10/2013
Maths Week Ireland
19/10/2013
Chem-Ed Ireland for Chemistry Teachers, Limerick Institute of Technology
10-17/11/2013
Science Week Ireland 2013—SciFest Jumbo Crossword Competition
14/11/2013
SciFest 2013 Chemistry Event WIT
22/11/2013
SciFest 2013 National Final Competition, Science Gallery, Trinity College
8-11/1/2014
BTYS&TE 2014
_/1/2014
Launch of SciFest 2014
9-15/2/2014
Engineers Week
7/3/2014
Closing date for receipt of entries to SciFest 2014
30/4/2014
SciFest@College AIT 2014
28/3/2014
SciFest@College DIT 2014
1/5/2014
SciFest@College LIT Tipperary 2014
2/5/2014
SciFest@College LIT 2014
11-16/5/2014
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2014, Los Angeles, California