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. PAGE 2
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. PAGE 3
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. PAGE 4
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.
PAGE 5
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. PAGE 6