WIT News

50 students compete in SciFest 2010 at WIT Posted: Tue, April 20, 2010

Internet addiction; formulae for winning monopoly; the effect of coffee on plants; acidity levels in chewing gum and the biofuel potential of seaweed oil are just some of the topics to be explored at Waterford Institute of Technology tomorrow (Tues, April 20) as 50 second-level students from Dungarvan and Lismore, Co Waterford; New Ross, Co Wexford and Waterford city compete in SciFest 2010.

28 of the competing students are from Blackwater Community School in Lismore while 14 are from Our Lady of Lourdes, New Ross; three from CBS Dungarvan and five from De La Salle College, Waterford.

Speaking ahead of SciFest 2010, Dr Sheila Donegan, Centre for the Advancement of Learning of Mathematics, Science & Technology (CALMAST) at Waterford Institute of Technology said: “the range of topics that the individuals and teams have worked so hard on shows just how widely the sciences can be applied and how relevant science is to everyday life.

“All of us involved are looking forward to learning about some very interesting projects that are the fruits of a lot of great work by the students and their teachers. With everything from the importance of breakfast to tension in a suspension bridge and from engine emissions to the impact of sports participation on exam performance to be examined, it promises to be a very stimulating day.”

The entrants’ team and individual projects will be evaluated by a judging panel including Dr Ciaran Geoghegan, Managing Director, Microchem Lancaster Laboratories; Dr Emma Harte, Analytical Chemist, Genzyme Ireland; Dan Geoghegan, QC Manager, GlaxoSmithKline Ireland; Alan Kelly, Technology Development Manager, Bausch + Lomb Ireland; Ray O’Dwyer, County Manager, Waterford County Council; Dr Liam Lysaght, Director, National Biodiversity Data Centre; Dr Paul Barry, Head of School of Science, WIT; Dr Willie Donnelly, Head of Research & Innovation, WIT and Dr John Wall, Head of School of Education, WIT.

Jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science & Engineering and supported by a number of other partners including Abbott and BT, SciFest is a one-day science fair at 15 higher education institutions. It features a competition and exhibition of projects, science talks, lab demonstrations and a prize-giving ceremony. SciFest aims to encourage a love of science through an investigative approach to learning and to provide an opportunity for students to display their scientific discoveries.

•    Further information is available at www.wit.ie and www.scifest.ie