The results of this year’s Scifest@College competition have been released and the school has picked up an unprecedented 9 awards!
Scifest is a competition that allows students to produce science projects and compete against other schools. Normally, it would be held in GMIT but due to Covid restrictions, it was all held online this year, with students having to produce a sizeable report and a short video describing their project.
Most of our Transition Year students produced a project – some in groups and some individually. In the Intermediate Physical Sciences category, James Moran, Liam McMahon, Aaron Monaghan got 4th place with their project that investigated how a tennis ball’s bounce is affected by the surface it bounces on. In the Intermediate Technology section, Elana Monaghan and Ella Cook got third place with their very prescient app which allows students to generate their own “predicted grade” based on their class test results. Well done to Ms. Hannify who was the science teacher involved with both groups.
In the Senior Physical Sciences, Lauren Price and Sinead Kavanagh’s project claimed first place! Their project involved measuring the accuracy of wearable fitness devices (Fitbits) when they are worn low down or high up on your wrist. Thank you to Ms. Halleran who was their supporting science teacher on this project.
In the Senior Life Sciences section, Paddy Toman and Luke Mulligan claimed third place with their project about how different frequencies of sound affect the human brain.
Two students claimed more than one prize. Anna Cooper, who competed in the BT Young Scientist and Technology competition earlier in the year, entered a project about how blood glucose is measured. Anna compared the performance of a number of medical devices that are used for this purpose. Anna won the Intermediate Technology category and also claimed the Boston Scientific prize. Anna’s project will now be further judged by Boston Scientific and may warrant a place in the national finals to be held in November.
Jonathan Flanagan – a second-year student – also competed in the BT Young Scientist in January. He entered a project in Scifest in which he created a device that analyses the spectrum of different light sources. He then compared the spectrum of sunlight and moonlight to investigate an optical illusion called the Purkinje Effect. His project won the Junior Technology category and also claimed the Institute of Physics Award. Most importantly, Jonathan’s project claimed 2nd place in the overall competition and he is now on the hunt for a national final spot in November as well. A big thank you to Dr. John Toner who mentored the students on these projects.
Well done to all students who entered projects in the competition. In a difficult year, the students managed to enter more than 20 projects, highlighting their tenacity and resilience. This enthusiasm, perseverance, and achievement will stand to them in the future. PCH is proud of you all!
