Students take home prestigious climate awards at Dublin regional finals

Gary Ibbotson 16 May 2023

Students names left to right: Freyja Cleary, Kateryna Skorokhod and Clementine van Steenberge, Loreto Abbey Dalkey and their project ‘”An investigation of Waves” Pic Orla Murray/Coalesce

Awards for projects covering a diverse range of topics from solar and wave power to electrifying fruit were claimed by students from schools in Firhouse, Castleknock and Dalkey at SciFest Regional Finals in Dublin this month.

The series of events held in DCU as well as TU Dublin campuses in Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Grangegorman over the month of May saw students vie for the EirGrid Climate and Delivering a Cleaner Future Award, along with other SciFest prizes on offer.

There was great ingenuity and creativity on display across each of the showcases, with the Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School team of Gal Baskin, Rosario Ruiz and Jessica Kala claiming the EirGrid title for their novel investigation into the use of different fruits and vegetables as electricity sources for powering a microbic car at TU Dublin Tallaght.

The Loreto Abbey Dalkey team of Kateryna Skorokhod, Freyja Cleary and Clementine van Steenberge won the EirGrid award for their investigation into the renewable energy potential of wave power at DCU, while Castleknock College’s James Harcourt and Hugo Meade were awarded for their project on solar tracking at TU Dublin Blanchardstown.

The TU Dublin Grangegorman prize went to St Mary’s College Arklow students Naia O’Callaghan Royo, Abaigh Mableson and Róisín Vigors for their project looking at the carbon capture potential of rock dust.

Congratulating the winning entrants on their awards Doireann Barry, Head of Strategy and Sustainability with EirGrid, said: “We saw some brilliant ideas and really thought-provoking projects across all of the SciFest Regional Finals in Dublin this month.

“At EirGrid, leading on sustainability and decarbonisation is central to our strategy, and to see these students explore and develop their own ideas for a more sustainable future is so inspiring. I would like to congratulate them all on their impressive projects.”

The winning teams will be invited to put their projects forward for involvement in the SciFest National Final which takes place later this year.