2015 @

Welcome to the 8th annual SciFest organised in the North Western region by the Institute of Technology Sligo, at the Knocknarea Arena (Multi-purpose area) on Wednesday 13th of May 2015

SciFest The SciFest science fairs programme is a national initiative founded in 2006 to encourage a love of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning. The programme offers an innovative way to expose students to, and enhance their understanding of, STEM subjects. Own choice of topic, collaboration, hands-on activities, presentation skills and recognition of work done are all attractive aspects of SciFest. The emphasis on real-world problems helps make STEM relevant to all students. They grow in confidence, develop their critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills and become aware of the variety of exciting careers associated with a STEM qualification.

The SciFest programme was launched nationwide in 2008 and grew so rapidly that three more strands were added in 2011. Currently, the four strands of SciFest are: SciFest@School (in-house science fairs in schools); SciFest@College (14 IoTs and St Mary’s Derry host regional science fairs for second-level students); a national final held in Dublin; and participation in international competitions – the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in America and the International Environment and Sustainability Project Olympiad (INESPO) in The Hague.

SciFest continues to grow. In 2014 over 6000 second-level students participated, making SciFest one of the largest science fairs of its kind in Europe. Since 2008 more than of 28,000 second-level students have participated in the programme. The increasing popularity of SciFest reflects the fact that it is accessible, inclusive and free to enter, while recognising diversity and the uniqueness of the individual.

The Institute of Technology Sligo have been successfully hosting a SciFest@College science fair each year since 2008.

Summary Table of numbers and types of Project in 2011

Total No. of Projects 125Total No. of Students 309

No. of projectsAge Category Junior 61

Intermediate 56Senior 8

Project Type Individual 14Group 111

Project Category Physical Sciences 40Life Sciences 73Technology 12

Discover Sensors Yes 18No 107

Young Scientist 2011 Yes 13No 112

Summary Table of numbers and types of Project in 2012

Total No. of Projects 97Total No. of Students 237

No. of projectsAge Category Junior 60

Intermediate 33Senior 4

Project Type Individual 10Group 87

Project Category Physical Sciences 32Life Sciences 54Technology 11

Discover Sensors Yes 16 Previous SciFest No

Yes8114 No 82

Young Scientist 2012 Yes 14No 83

Summary Table of numbers and types of Project in 2013

Total No. of Projects 131Total No. of Students 312

No. of projectsAge Category Junior 63

Intermediate 63Senior 5

Project Type Individual 18Group 113

Project Category Physical Sciences 39Life Sciences 80Technology 12

Previous SciFest Yes 26No 105

Young Scientist 2013 Yes 17No 113

Summary Table of numbers and types of Project in 2014

Total No. of Projects 139Total No. of Students 341

No. of projectsAge Category Junior 62

Intermediate 67Senior 10

Project Type Individual 13Group 126

Project Category Physical Sciences 29Life Sciences 92Technology 18

Previous SciFest Yes 22No 117

Young Scientist 2014 Yes 22No 117

Summary Table of numbers and types of Project for this year, 2015

Total No. of Projects 90Total No. of Students 204

No. of projectsAge Category Junior 48

Intermediate 33Senior 9

Project Type Individual 18Group 72

Project Category Physical Sciences 22Life Sciences 54Technology 14

Previous SciFest Yes 14No 76

Young Scientist 2015 Yes 7No 82

Parking Car-parking will be available at the venue

Display Arrangements Each project will be allocated a display board (1200 mm wide x 900 mm high) which is “Velcro friendly” – Velcro not supplied;

[Note that display area is A1-Landscape. We recommend that each competitor purchase an A1 poster board, and mounts all material on it before arrival. As A1 is awkward to carry and the display material will be vulnerable in transit, a useful alternative is:

(i) purchase 2 x A2 poster boards;

(ii) lay them side by side vertically (portrait style), to give A1-Landscape overall; (iii) tape them together on the back; (iv) mount material, avoiding centre line if possible; (v) fold over with mounted material on the inside; (vi) wrap/bag if possible, giving a protected, easily carried A2 parcel].

Each project will also be allocated a standard size table, immediately in front of display board, allowing for display of project folder and any other items needing a horizontal surface

Catering Arrangements

Sandwiches or light lunch will be available for purchase in the College Canteen, for competitors and teachers. It will be served at approx. 12.15p.m. in the Main Canteen on campus. Teachers will be provided with vouchers to the value of €8 to help cover the cost of lunch, which can be used only in the College Canteen. Unfortunately student lunches will not be subsidised this year. College Canteen is Building A on map; come across car park and into main entrance of IT, turn right on entrance and straight through to canteen.

Project Set Up Arrangements

Students should plan to arrive at the IT Sligo before 9.00a.m. on Friday 13 th May (building open from 8a.m.).

Projects should be set up by 9.45a.m. at the latest, in time for opening Opening ceremony at 10.00am Electrical power will be provided, only for those projects requesting it in advance

Judging Arrangements

Every project will be visited by at least 2 judges Judging will commence at 10.00a.m. and continue until 12.15p.m. Each judge/team of judges will spend approximately 10 minutes at a project Students are reminded to take their project folder to the event Each individual competitor, or at least one of a group, must be present at their stand 10.00a.m –

12.15p.m.

Arrangements for Visits by School Groups

We expect to be able to accommodate School groups to attend the afternoon part of the event, but please advise us re numbers and means of transport (e.g. size of bus, if relevant)

School visits are scheduled from 1p.m. to 3.40p.m. on the day.

From 1p.m. to 3p.m., we are organizing Lab Demonstrations and Lectures on Science Topics, Careers in Science, and Science Course Options, for both competitors and visitors

We may not have room for visitors to attend award ceremony, but we hope to able to give them an opportunity to view the entries.

Arrangements for publicity

To promote the event, IT Sligo may take photographs of students with their projects.

Supervision of students

It is vital that the teachers supervise the students while in the Institute. In particular, students need to be at their stands during judging, as the judges will be under time pressure, and may not easily get back if they miss someone.

Certification

In recognition of the work carried out on the project, each student will receive a certificate of entry from IT Sligo;

Prize-winners will receive appropriate Certificates (in addition to prizes) Highly Commended projects will also receive certificates We will also acknowledge the effort of teachers in support of their students

Categories-

LS Life Science

T Technology

PS Physical Sciences

Age Groups

J Junior 1st and 2nd year

I Intermediate 3rd 4th (transition year)

S Senior 5th and 6th year

Awards

Prizes will be awarded in the following Categories:

1. Special Awards;

2. Local Awards

1. Special Awards

The following awards will be presented at each SciFest@College 2015 event.

1. SFI/Discover Best Project Award Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

2. Abbott Runner-up Best Project Award Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

3. Intel Award (Best Physical Science or Technology Project) Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

4. Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

5. Newstalk Best Communicator Award Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

6. PharmaChemical Ireland Chemistry Award Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

7. Sustainable Energy Award (SEAI) Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

8. EPI-STEM Maths in Science Award

(National Centre for STEM Education)

Trophy + €20 One4All gift token per student

9. Irish Science Teachers’ Association Award Trophy

10. Discover Space Award (ESERO Ireland) Trophy for student

Discover Space Teacher Award (ESERO Ireland) Space Atlas for teacher

11. RSC School Chemistry Award (Royal Society of Chemistry Education Division)

Equipment for chemistry laboratory in school

1. SFI Discover Best Project Award The Best Project Award winner/s from each SciFest@College 2015 will participate in a national final competition on 6th November in Dublin. There they will compete for the SFI Discover Intel ISEF Award. This award consists of a trophy and an all-expenses-paid trip for the winning student/s and their mentor to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix in May 2016. Note. The winner of this award should be capable of taking the project further and competing at an international level.

2. Abbott Runner-up Best Project Award This award is presented to the overall second best project.

3. Intel Award This award is presented to the best project in the Physical Sciences and Technology categories.

Note. If the SFI Discover Best Project Award winner or Runner-up is from either the Physical Sciences or the Technology category the prize will be awarded to the next best project in these categories.

4. Boston Scientific Medical Devices AwardThis award will be presented to the project that best demonstrates:

Understanding of a problem/unanswered question related to science or engineering in the field of medical devices

Understanding of an area where you have experience or are aware of something to help / improve / change a person’s quality of life who may have a medical need – parent / sister / brother / grandparent / class mate

Provides a contribution to the medical device field through research / experimentation.Note. This award may be presented only to a project based on an investigation of a human medical device – see www.scifest.ie for PowerPoint presentation: What is a medical device?

5. Newstalk Best Communicator Award This award may be presented to either a group or an individual. The recipient/s of this award should demonstrate exceptional ability in effectively communicating their findings to the judges. This award is based on the score obtained in Section 2 of the score sheet (Subtotal 2).

6. PharmaChemical Ireland Chemistry Award This award is presented to the project with the best chemistry content; it may be made in any of the 3 categories.

7. SEAI Sustainable Energy Award This award is presented to the project that demonstrates one or more of the following: Energy

efficiency in action Investigation into renewable energy Awareness raising of a topic related to sustainable energy

Note. The winners of this award compete for the SEAI INESPO Award (International Environmental & Sustainability Project Olympiad) and should be capable of taking the project further and competing at an international level. The project must meet the above criteria.

8. EPI-STEM Maths Award This award is presented to the project with the best use of maths; it may be made in any of the 3 categories.

9. Irish Science Teachers’ Award This award is presented to the project in the Junior Category. If the SFI Discover Best Project Award winner or Runner-up is from the junior category the prize will be awarded to the next best project in the category.

10. ESERO Ireland Discover Space Award The award is presented to the project which best uses Space as a theme in science, technology or maths.

Discover Space Teacher Award: The teacher of the winning student/s should be called up on to the stage to receive the Discover Space Teacher Award. Directly after the award has been presented to the students.

11. RSC School Chemistry Award This award will be presented to the school attended by the students that were awarded the Chemistry Award.

Note. This award should be presented separately to the teacher from the school attended by the students who were awarded the Chemistry Award. It is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry Education Division.

2. Local Awards

First Prize in each category sponsored by IT Sligo. Second Prize in each category sponsored by IT Sligo. Certificates will be awarded by IT Sligo to all highly commended projects

Our JudgesOur judges have kindly agreed to give up their time to come along and take part in what we hope will be a very exciting day for all involved, They are representing the IT, Local Industry, the HSE and St Angela’s College they are looking forward to meeting all of you and finding out more about your projects.

Thank you all for entering the competition and we hope that you will enjoy your day in IT Sligo, and continue your studies in Science and Technology. Good luck in the competition today.

Our Sponsors SciFest gratefully acknowledges the support and generosity of its partners. In recognition of their generous contributions please take a moment to visit their respective websites to learn more about these important sponsors and their products and services.

Project PartnersSFI Discover (Science Foundation Ireland)Intel IrelandBoston ScientificThe Institutes of Technology

Platinum SponsorsNewstalkPharmaChemical IrelandSustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)iJoinLaunch.ie

Gold SponsorsAbbott LaboratoriesDepartment of Foreign AffairsEPI-STEM, the National Centre for STEM Education European Space Education Resource Office Ireland (ESERO Ireland)Irish Science Teachers’ Association

Silver SponsorsRoyal Society of Chemistry Education DivisionInstitute of Physics

CIT Sponsors:Janssen PharmaceuticalEli LillyBank of IrelandMunster RugbyStudent Services Co Ltd

P P

Project

SciFest 2015 Institutes of

Technology

SciFest@ITSligo contact informationDr. Bill Crowe, SciFest Organiser IT Sligo.Dept. Environmental Science, School of Science, Institute of Technology, Ash Lane Sligo.T: Work 071 9155357M: 087 6900168E-mail: crowe.bill@itsligo.ie

SciFest@IT Sligo additional InformationGuidelines for entry: http://scifest.ie/guidelines-and-eventsInstructions and resources for SciFest (for example how you should keep your Scientific log book, present your display, communicate your findings, etc.), may be found at http://scifest.ie/scifest-toolkit ; and information about the event, for example the Special Awards available (Last years for example: http://scifest.ie/2014-major-awardsand ) and the main sponsors of the event at: http://www.scifest.ie/sponsors.html .

N.B. Projects may be presented ‘as Gaeilge’ as some of our judges are good Gaelic speakers.

No acknowledgements will be given about receipt of entries, because of lack of manpower, (and short time frames), but when the brochure for the day, with the complete list of entries, numbered and in categories, is produced it will be posted on Bill Crowe’s SciFest at IT Sligo website: http://staffweb.itsligo.ie/staff/bcrowe/bill/styles/frames/ed/Scifest2015.htm

Further information can be found near the time of the event at the Institute of Technology, Sligo Web site: http://itsligo.ie/ or on a more continuous basis on Bill Crowe’s SciFest at IT Sligo website: http://staffweb.itsligo.ie/staff/bcrowe/bill/styles/frames/ed/Scifest2015.htmor from the index section of Bill Crowe’s Home Page:http://staffweb.itsligo.ie/staff/bcrowe/bill/home.htm

SciFest Programme contact informationSheila Porter, CEO SciFest George Porter, CFO SciFeste: sheila.porter@scifest.ie e: george.porter@scifest.iem: 086 379 6143 W: www.scifest.ie

SciFest Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFpKN1rVAz8

Website:www.scifest.ie

SciFest 2015 @IT Sligo

Programme of events.

9.00am Arrival and Set-up

9.45am Official opening by Dr Jeremy Bird, Head of School of Science, IT Sligo (master of ceremonies);followed by Official Welcoming address by Professor Vincent Cunnane President of the Institute of Technology, Sligo.

10.00am Judging begins (judges meeting first)

(3rd year IT Sligo Forensic students in SciFest Tee-shirts available as Helpers and Guides)

12.15pm Lunch for Competitors and Teachers in main canteen.Soup and Sandwiches for Judges in Knocknarea Arena.

1.00-3.00pm Tour for students in schools of Science, Computing and Engineering, including Demonstrations of robotics, (Ross McMorrow) and Computer Gaming (Neil Gannon) and /or other events. These two events have been very popular over the last few years

In addition this year we will provide a Smart Futures STEM Careers Talk (primarily for the Intermediate and Senior students attending SciFest at IT Sligo 2015). The session will include two speakers with STEM backgrounds giving a 15 minute talk each, followed by questions and answers. A competition prize for the best career question will be given to help engage the students. This 45 minute session will take place between 1.20pm and 2.05pm and will run once during this time, with as many students accommodated as possible.Smart Futures is a collaborative government-industry framework initiative promoting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers to post primary students in Ireland, providing students, teachers, guidance counsellors and parents with resources and information on the opportunities open to STEM graduates and the skills required by Industry. Smart Futures is coordinated by SFI Discover, the education and outreach programme of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), in partnership with Engineers Ireland’s education outreach programme, STEPS.Part of the Smart Futures programme is to offer STEM careers talks to second-level students. An example of such a talk may be viewed at, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XVtt1g93Ns

(Assemble at main reception of IT)3.15pm Prize giving ceremony and Close of Exhibition

Short Closing address by Professor Vincent Cunnane President of the Institute of Technology, Sligo. Followed by Presentation of the Prizes

Presentation Table and Chairs on Podium: Professor Vincent Cunnane, Dr Jeremy Bird,

George Porter (CFO SciFest), ANO (Coordinator of the Judges)

Dignitaries Table to Side at Front: Presenters of Special Prizes, Guests and Dr. Bill Crowe (Chief Organiser of SciFest at IT Sligo 2015).

3.40pm Dismantle exhibitions

Order of Presentation

Age Groups Categories Merit Prize Presented by

Local Awards1 J Junior (1st and 2nd

year)T Technology

SecondVouchers

Dr Jeremy BirdHead of Science

2

3 First TrophyProf.Vincent CunnanePresident of Institute

4 PS Physical Sciences Highly Commended

CertificateMacdara BodekerCo-ordinator of judges

5 Third VouchersDr. Bill CroweChief Organiser IT Sligo

6 Second Vouchers Dr Jeremy Bird

7 FirstTrophy

Prof.Vincent Cunnane

8 LS Life Science Highly Commended

CertificateMacdara Bodeker

9 Third Vouchers Dr. Bill Crowe10 Second Vouchers Dr Jeremy Bird

11 FirstTrophy

Prof.Vincent Cunnane

12 I Intermediate

3rd and 4th (transition year)

T Technology Second Vouchers Dr. Bill Crowe

13 FirstTrophy

Prof.Vincent Cunnane

14 PS Physical Sciences

SecondVouchers

Dr Jeremy Bird15

16 FirstTrophy

Prof.Vincent Cunnane

17 LS Life Science Highly Commended

CertificateMacdara Bodeker

18 Third Vouchers Dr. Bill Crowe19 Second Vouchers Dr Jeremy Bird20 First Trophy Prof.Vincent Cunnane

21 S Senior5th and 6th year

T Technology First / Second Trophy / Vouchers Prof.Vincent Cunnane

22 PS Physical Sciences

First / Second Trophy / Vouchers

Prof.Vincent Cunnane23

24 LS Life Science Second

VouchersDr Jeremy Bird

25 First Trophy Prof.Vincent Cunnane

(in all categories there may be some discretionary “Highly Commended” awards awarded for very good projects without formal prizes)

Special Awards (Local)26 IT Sligo. Business innovation award Vouchers

  

Special Awards (National)

27. RSC School Chemistry Award (Royal Society of

Chemistry Education Division)

Equipment for chemistry

laboratory in school

28. Discover Space Award (ESERO Ireland) Trophy for student

29. Discover Space Teacher Award (ESERO Ireland) Space Atlas for teacher

30. Irish Science Teachers’ Association Award Trophy

31. EPI-STEM Maths in Science Award

(National Centre for STEM Education) Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

32. Sustainable Energy Award (SEAI) Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

33. PharmaChemical Ireland Chemistry Award Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

34. Newstalk Best Communicator Award Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

35. Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

36. Intel Award (Best Physical Science or Technology

Project)

Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

37. Abbott Runner-up Best Project Award Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student

38. SFI/Discover Best Project Award Trophy

+ €20 One4All gift token per student