Science Spin March 2009

SciFest going from strength to strength

By Sean Duke

The success of the BT supported Exhibition in the RDS each year, which has been running since 1965, means that not every student, or students that wish to take part can take part. The standards are increasing all the time and it is an achievement even to get into the RDS hall. This meant there was an opening for another festival, one that would take place at venues around the country, where students would have more opportunities to take part and exhibit.

Shiela Porter, a science teacher at Dublin's Loreto College, St Stephen's Green, has a proud track record of students exhibiting, and winning prizes at the RDS. Now, she has taken time out from teaching to take up a post as the SciFest National Coordinator - based at Intel. Here she provides some answers to our questions about SciFest, which receives support from Intel as well as the Discover Science and Engineering Porgramme, and the background to it.

Why was SciFest set up?
SciFest was originally set up to give as many second-level students as possible the opportunity to participate in a science exhibition and celebrate their achievements in science and technology. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition has been doing this very successfully for over 40 years. It has become so successful that the number of entrants now far exceeds the capacity of the RDS to accommodate them; this year 1,615 projects were submitted for preliminary judging while the RDS can accommodate only 500 projects. SciFest provides an additional forum for students who wish to exhibit their work to experience the excitement of sharing their findings with other like-minded students. SciFest has the additional advantage that it is locally based and so is more accessible to students.SciFest is jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science and Engineering. It is supported by a number of other partners and the Institutes of Technology. The project, thus, creates a valuable link between the second and third level education sectors and between education and industry.

How is it different to the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition?
SciFest is a local one-day festival of science hosted in an Institute of Technology. It is open to all second level students. There is no entry fee and the students don't have to travel long distances to the exhibition. A SciFest fair includes a competition and exhibition of projects, a selection of science talks, science demonstrations in the institutes' laboratories and a prize-giving ceremony. SciFest encourages the students to visit their local IT and view the facilities and courses available. Exhibiting in a small student-friendly environment helps build the students' confidence in their science knowledge and skills and hopefully encourages them to choose science as a career.

Why, as a teacher, are you interested in it? I believe you are with Intel on leave of absence for SciFest just now?
I have always believed in the value of student practical work in science. It helps to develop an interest in, and enthusiasm for, the subject and supports the students' learning. Project work has the further advantage that it allows the students to learn science while pursuing an aspect of the subject in which they have a particular interest. For these reasons I have always encouraged my students to participate in the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition. I saw the establishment of SciFest as a means of providing an opportunity for more students to benefit from the experience of working on their own projects. I initiated the first SciFest in the Institute of Technology Tallaght in 2006. In August 2007 I was seconded to Intel Ireland, jointly funded by Discover Science and Engineering, to set up SciFest nationwide and act as the national coordinator.

What has the response been like?
Since its launch nationwide in 2007 SciFest has been more successful than anyone thought possible, with 1,612 students exhibiting over 680 projects in 2008. Nine Institutes of Technology - Athlone, Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Sligo, Tallaght, Tipperary and Waterford - participated in SciFest 2008. Dundalk, Blanchardstown and Tralee have already been added to the list of participating institutes for 2009. A further development in 2009 is the extension of the project to Northern Ireland. Negotiations are currently underway to hold at least two SciFest fairs in the North, thus giving students there an additional opportunity to participate in a science fair while also fostering cooperation in science education between North and South.

How important are these kind of events to students?
Our fast changing world requires today's students to be life-long learners. Effective learning requires that students take control of their own learning. When a student works on a project they get very involved, take ownership, and get a taste of what it is like to be a professional research scientist. The student has the choice of what to study and how to go about it. No matter how simple or complicated the investigation this type of learning experience coupled with the opportunity of sharing the results with the class, or the judges at SciFest takes students to another level beyond just memorising facts. The student is then more likely to leave school equipped with the necessary skills for solving real world problems. They will also have learned to work collaboratively and to communicate and present their ideas.

Can they help to encourage students to do science subjects, even supposed 'hard' subjects like Physics and Chemistry?
In SciFest 2008 44 per cent of the projects fell into the physical sciences and technology categories. Approximately 80 per cent of the exhibitors were in the junior cycle. Exhibiting at SciFest helps promote active and collaborative learning and being inquiry-based, it helps students develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. This helps promote a positive attitude to science and equip the students from an early age with the skills and confidence to take science at senior level.

What would you hope to achieve with SciFest in 2009?
I hope that SciFest 2009 will be as successful and as exciting as SciFest 2008. I am optimistic that even more students and teachers will be involved, not only because there are more venues, but because of the interest and enthusiasm generated by SciFest 2008. I am also looking forward to seeing a number of venues in Northern Ireland hosting SciFest fairs.

SciFest 2009 Schedule
WHERE -- Institutes of Technology throughout Ireland
WHEN -- One-day science fairs taking place between April 22 and 13th May
Details: www.scifest.ie

For further information contact:
Sheila Porter (SciFest National Coordinator)
SciFest IR2 - 1 - T22, Intel Ireland,
Leixlip, Co Kildare, Ireland
Tel: 353 1 606 8949
Mobile: 353 86 379 6143
Email: sheilax.m.porter@intel.com
Website: www.scifest