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SciFest was the brainchild of the current project manager, Sheila Porter. The idea arose from a visit to the International Science and Engineering Fair Educator Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2005. An approach to the Institute of Technology Tallaght (ITT) led to the establishment of the first SciFest fair there in 2006. The fair ran successfully for two years in ITT and in 2008 was launched nationwide with the support of Intel Ireland and Discover Science and Engineering as project partners.
The model proved highly scalable and cost effective. In 2008 SciFest ran in nine Institutes of Technology (ITs). In 2009 the number of ITs involved increased to 14 and an additional SciFest was hosted in Northern Ireland. With the numbers increasing so rapidly it was decided to expand the SciFest programme in 2011 by introducing two new levels of participation.
Scifest Science Fairs
1. SciFest@School
Second-level schools host their own in-house SciFest science fair. Support for the event is provided by SciFest along with resources and BKMs on the SciFest website.
2. SciFest@College
Fourteen ITs and the University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Derry host one-day SciFest science fairs which are open to all second-level students. Each fair includes a project exhibition and competition, a science talk, hands-on activities in the IT laboratories, career advice and a prizegiving ceremony.
| The Numbers SciFest@College 2011 |
2907 students |
1243 projects |
197 schools |
338 teachers |
3. SciFest@Intel
The Intel Best Project Award winners at each SciFest@College event are invited to exhibit at a SciFest science fair for finalists in Intel in October. The projects are evaluated by an expert panel of judges from academia, enterprise and government. One project is selected to represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) which is held annually in May in the USA.
Aim of SciFest
The aim of SciFest is to encourage a love of science and maths through active, collaborative, inquiry-based learning and to provide a forum for students at local/regional level to present and display their scientific investigations.
Participation in SciFest helps students to develop an interest in, and enthusiasm for, STEM. It allows them to learn while pursuing an aspect of the subject in which they have a particular interest. It also encourages the development of the skills sets that are required to address future global concerns of food, water and energy security, create wealth to sustain growth and to provide better health services and better infrastructure. Addressing such global concerns will create and drive the jobs and skills needs of the future.
For further information please contact:
Sheila Porter
SciFest Project Manager
IR6-2-C15
Intel Ireland
Leixlip
Co Kildare
Tel. +353 1 606 8949 / +353 86 3796143
Email: sheilax.m.porter@intel.com
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