– Student Presentation SciFest Project Manager - Sheila Porter

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager What is SciFest? A festival of science open to all second-level students which encourages a love of science through enquiry- based learning and provides an opportunity for students to display their scientific discoveries

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager 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

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager SciFest is where……… your hard work is recognised and you could win an award

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager 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, SciFest Project Manager - Sample Programme

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager 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, SciFest Project Manager  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, SciFest Project Manager Remember YOU CAN DO IT Ideas come when you least expect them ! Brilliant idea!!!

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager  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 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, SciFest Project Manager 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

The Website – Links: SciFest 2012Media CentreMiscellaneous  Entry Forms  National Award Winners 2011  Sponsors and Special Awards  Guidelines for Entrants  Photographs and News Reports  Project Ideas  Report Book and Presentation  Resources  Exhibition Dates and Contacts Student Module  Support for Teachers  Discover Sensors Award  Science by Inquiry  Project Blogger

Sheila Porter, SciFest Project Manager SciFest