Cora Twomey, Davis College Mallow and Sean Sherlock TD, Minister of State at Department of Foreign Affairs at SciFest2016 in Cork Institute of Technology.
Minister of State Seán Sherlock praised the work of Mallow scientists this week at the Regional Finals of SCIFEST in Cork Institute of Technology, where he opened the event. Scifest is an all-inclusive, all-island science initiative which fosters active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning among second l-level students. Scifest is funded primarily by Science Foundation Ireland, Intel and Boston Scientific. This year’s event in CIT showcases 140 projects from 300 secondary school students, ranging from 1st Year to 5th Year and from 26 schools across Cork City and County and 1 school from Co. Wicklow.
“Mallow once again performed strongly at SciFest,” said Minister Sherlock
“I was delighted to meet with students who have previously exhibited at exhibitions like the Young Scientist and track the progress they have made. Credit must go to the teachers and school communities in Mallow, which have prioritised the teaching of STEM. It was also important to see a larger number of female scientists from Mallow. I look forward to these students continue to challenge and grow within the science sectors.”
Dr Hugh McGlynn, Head of School of Science and Informatics at CIT said: “As always, the projects entered by the students in Scifest are impressive, engaging and thought-provoking. Secondary school students from across the region are demonstrating their passion for science, technology, engineering and maths, which is clearly evident from the high standard of research that has gone into the entries this year. Scifest is a competition that aims to encourage students to develop an interest in STEM, which prioritises inclusivity and inquiry-based learning. We are proud to support such a valuable programme”
Winners from each regional science fair will have an opportunity to represent Ireland at two international science fairs: the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2017 in Los Angeles, California and the International Environment and Sustainability Project Olympiad (INESPO) 2017 in the Netherlands.
Visit www.scifest.ie for further information.