Scifest win for triangles project

A North Clare pupil was among the winners at a science competition held in Limerick Institute of Technology recently. More than 200 second-level pupils from all over Limerick and the Mid-West took part in SciFest@LIT.
Two science projects from Ennistymon CBS were entered in this year’s Scifest competition in LIT. One of the projects was in the senior physical sciences category. The project How many triangles do you see? was entered by Michael McInerney and won first prize for Excellence in Maths.
The second project How much sugar are teenagers really consuming? by Ross O’ Doherty, James O’Connor and Damian O’Loughlin received a commendation in the biological sciences category.
These, and other young people from Clare and across the region, showcased their impressive scientific discoveries and explorations at SciFest@LIT last week, part of a series of one-day science fairs that are taking place this year at Institutes of Technology across the country.
Almost 100 science projects were displayed at SciFest@LIT with the students delving into a range of investigations. Among the projects were studies into whether technology is taking over our lives, how much bacteria is on make-up, how phosphates have affected pollution levels in Lough Derg, self-sanitising handles and how attentiveness is affected by age.
Two students from St Mary’s Secondary School, Charleville, Maeve Mulcahy and Mairead O’Donnell were the overall winners of SciFest@LIT for their project “Is a domestic cream a safer remedy for curing mastitis in dairy cows than antibiotics?” A study into how sudocrem can heal mastitis was conducted, scientifically comparing it with traditional antibiotic treatments.
SciFest is a series of one day science fairs funded by Intel Ireland and Discover Science and Engineering and hosted nationwide by the Institutes of Technology and the University of Ulster.
LIT SciFest coordinator Marie Walsh said, “SciFest@LIT encourages students of varying abilities to develop an interest in science through the investigation of interests and activities from their everyday lives.
“Students are given an opportunity to develop research skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, presentation and teamwork. While doing so they also are given an insight into the excellent facilities and courses available to them in Limerick Institute of Technology.”
LIT category awards were also presented to students from Kilrush Community School.