– Student Presentation Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd ©SciFest Ltd

2013

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd What is SciFest? SciFest is a series of one-day science fairs open to all second-level students SciFest is YOUR TOPIC, YOUR PROJECT, YOUR ACHIEVEMENT

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest is where……… You get to investigate a topic that really interests YOU

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest is where……… your hard work is recognised and you could win an award

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest is where……… you get to present your project and talk to experts from academia and industry about your discoveries

SciFest is where ……….. you get the opportunity to see a real scientist in action, visit a college’s laboratories and learn about the courses available in the college

SciFest is where ….. Fun you can exhibit your project, be awarded a certificate and have fun with science

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd - Sample Programme

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd Who can enter SciFest? Age Categories Junior: 1 st Year and 2 nd Year Intermediate: 3 rd Year and 4 th Year Senior: 5 th Year and 6 th Year Project Type Individual Group - (Max. 3 students per group – all group members must be in attendance at the exhibition) Project Categories Physical Sciences Life Sciences Technology SciFest is open to all second-level students

The Website –

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd What you need to do today  Make out a ‘things to do’ list  If doing a group project - pick students you know you can work with - work with somebody who lives near you or is in your class  Decide on a group leader – divide up the work- teamwork is important  Arrange definite times to meet  Log onto  Read all the information given on the website especially the ‘Guidelines for Entrants’ and ‘Report Book and Presentation’  Download and print out an entry form

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd  Check out the SciFest website ‘Project Ideas’ Deciding on an Idea  Talk to your parents, your teacher, your friends  Check out the Internet and the school library  Watch the news and read the newspaper  Have you a hobby?  Is there a particular area of science you are interested in?  Write out the idea in your own words

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd Remember YOU CAN DO IT Ideas come when you least expect them ! Brilliant idea!!!

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd  Get a large sheet of paper and brainstorm with your team  Make a shortlist of ‘best ideas’ Find out as much as you can about the topic  What questions would you like to try to answer?  Can you find a mentor, i.e., someone from a company, a hospital or a third level college who might be a source of information and/or resources Research and Brainstorm

 Investigate only one variable  Keep all other factors constant  Have a control  Repeat the experiment a number of times  Be prepared to change your approach when necessary  Ensure that it is a fair test Remember Check that you are not planning any dangerous experiments or using harmful equipment or chemicals Be Safe

3. VISUAL DISPLAY Should be bright, attractive, clear and concise A Completed Project Must Contain 2.SUMMARY (included in Report Book) This is a short description of what your science project is about. It should be no more than two typed pages in length See website – Report Book and Presentationwww.scifest.ie 1.PROJECT REPORT BOOK Title Page Introduction Background Research Experimental Methods Results Conclusions and Recommendations Acknowledgements Appendices References Project Report Is the viscosity of oil affected by heat? Jessica Dee Mary Jones Louise ward St Anne’s School Co Limerick

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest – Science by inquiry in Action State Problem Look around, ask questions, identify a problem, state a hypothesis Research Gather as much information about the topic as possible Investigate Design and carry out experiments to test the hypothesis; collect data Analyse Analyse the data, discuss the findings Conclude Come up with a possible solution to the original problem Present findings at SciFest Present

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest – What the teachers and students are saying s

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd GO RAIBH MÍLE MAITH AGAIBH THANK YOU!

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest M&M Activity Let’s look at the data we have collected and see what our conclusions are

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest M&M Activity Group Total Number of M&Ms in bag Number of Green M&Ms Number of Brown M&Ms Number of Yellow M&Ms Number of Orange M&Ms Number of Blue M&Ms Total Average

Sheila Porter, CEO, SciFest Ltd © SciFest Ltd SciFest M&M Activity Conclusions