Scifest 2016

Davitt College, Castlebar Students sweep the Boards at National Scifest Competition 2016!

It was an outstanding day for the students of Davitt College, Castlebar at this year’s Scifest Competition which was held in the Sligo Institute of Technology on Wednesday 11th May 2016. The school had eight projects entered and on the day took five Major Awards, including a Special Award. The students were mentored by Davitt College Science Teachers Ms. Fiona O’Connor and Mr. Aaron Tonry. The aim of Scifest is to encourage a love of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths through active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning and to provide a forum for students at Local, Regional and National Level to present and display their scientific investigations. SciFest is funded by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme, Intel Ireland and Boston Scientific.

Transition Year Students Aoife Parsons and Clodagh Hegarty attracted much attention from the judges and won the Intermediate Life Sciences Category and Overall Runners-Up, sponsored by Abbott Ireland, with their project “The Education and Promotion of Breastfeeding for Children, Adolescents and Adults”. The girls now progress to compete for the Scifest 2016 Grand Award.

Transition Year Student Andrey Connolly won the coveted Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award for his Project – “The Investigation and Research of Changeable Factors that Decrease the Chances of Survival of Sudden Cardiac Arrest Patients”. He was also Runner-Up in the Intermediate Life Sciences Category. Andrey will now compete for the Boston Scientific International Prize later in the year.

Second Year Students, Therese Gallagher and Jane Ryder took First Place in the Junior Technology Category for their Project – The Blind’s Eye. Their project consisted of a walking stick with a motion sensor attached, which causes a vibrating pulse to the thumb of the user when it comes close to an obstacle.

Congratulations to all students involved – the future looks very bright indeed with such clever and creative young people.

 

Congratulations to Davitt College Student Andrey Connolly, Jane Ryder, Therese Gallagher, Clodagh Hegarty and Aoife Parsons who were successful at the 2016 Scifest Competition held in Sligo Institute of Technology on Wednesday 11th May 2016.
Congratulations to Davitt College Student Andrey Connolly, Jane Ryder, Therese Gallagher, Clodagh Hegarty and Aoife Parsons who were successful at the 2016 Scifest Competition held in Sligo Institute of Technology on Wednesday 11th May 2016.