SECOND-LEVEL students on the Northside are being encouraged to put their skills to the test in the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) area for a competition.
Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh made the call for entries for the 12th annual SciFest@College competition.
SciFest is the largest and most inclusive second-level STEM fair initiative on the island of Ireland.
Since launching in 2008, more than 60,000 students have participated in the competition, which represents an average year on year increase of 23 percent in participation.
SciFest aims to give students of all abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to develop research, problem solving, critical thinking, and presentation skills.
Last year’s overall national final winner was Adam Kelly, a fifth-year student from Skerries Community College, for his entry: open source solution to simulating quantum computing.
Adam will represent Ireland at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona, later this year.
Adam was also the overall winner of this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technology competition. Students wishing to follow in Adam’s footsteps can log on to the SciFest website (www.scifest.ie) and enter online. Completed entries must be submitted by Friday, March 8.
Speaking at the launch, Minister McHugh said SciFest is a fantastic competition.
“As a Government we are committed to promoting young people’s involvement in this area,” he said.
“ An event like SciFest gets young people engaged in STEM subjects and in research and innovation.
“It drives interest and gives them a great opportunity to explore ideas and develop their skills outside their studies.”