Best school, best teacher and best question were only three of nineteen awards the young scientists from the Bower picked up at this year’s Scifest exhibition at Athlone Institute of Technology on Wednesday, 25 April. Led by mentors Ms Maguire, Ms Benson, Ms Greaney and Audrey, the STEM mad girls were delighted to have their hard work recognised at this annual local event attended by Scifest guru Sheila Porter.
Second year Nirmitha Premnath was a triple prize winner with ‘Cultivation on Ocean’ which won the Junior Technology Award (Individual), Intel Best Technology Award and Best Communicator Award. Sixth year Tierna Maguire was awarded first in the Senior Life Science Individual category with Marinating Your Way Around Cancer as well as the Health and Nutrition Award.
First year Kylie Chen took first in the Junior Physical Science Award (Individual) and a Best Display for ‘A Natural Remedy for Preventing and Curing Kidney Stones?’ while Millie O’Brien, Hannah Lennon and Eimear Galvin, also in first year, were first in the Junior Technology category with their project called ‘Lamb Watch.’
Mia Samovich was given the Enterprise Ireland Award for ‘Create Worlds, Expand Imaginations and Break
Stereotypes’, Róisin Grennan and Shauna Martin – A Farming Facility on Mars- won the Discover Space Award while Ms Maguire took home the Discover Space Teachers Award.
The school has long been recognised for its strong focus on STEM subjects, offering four science subjects at senior level with a huge uptake in two. Thanks to the committed staff, we have won the Best School Award four times at Scifest in the last ten years and have enjoyed regular success at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition.
Here is a full list of winners :
Scifest 2018 – Results
Tierna Maguire – Marinating Your Way Around Cancer
Senior Life Science Award (Individual)
Health and Nutrition Award
Katie Ward and Eimear Bohan – A study into the effect of active ingredients used in
anti dandruff shampoos on basidiomycetes
Senior Life Science Award (Group)
Kate Olwill – Thought, A Product of Language?
Junior Life Science Award (Individual)
Clare Reidy and Grace Mc Gorisk – Ibuprofen Over the Counter Under the Radar
Social Science Award (Group)
Katie Commins and Alicia Lawless – Adaptive L and N Plates for Use on Cars
Intermediate Technology Award (Group)
Millie O’Brien, Hannah Lennon and Eimear Galvin – Lamb Watch
Junior Technology Award (Group)
Katie Boyle, Rebecca Coffey and Maria McLynn – You Can Save the Planet
Junior Technology Award (Group) – runner up
Nirmitha Premnath – Cultivation on Ocean
Junior Technology Award (Individual)
Intel Best Technology Award
Best Communicator Award
Kylie Chen – A Natural Remedy for Preventing and Curing Kidney Stones
Junior Physical Science Award (Individual)
Best Display
Chloe Gavin – The effect of mindfulness on insight problem solving
AIT Health and Wellbeing Award
Mia Samovich – Create Worlds Expand Imaginations and Break Stereotypes
Enterprise Ireland Award
Róisin Grennan and Shauna Martin – A Farming Facility on Mars
Discover Space Award
Ellen Maguire
Discover Space Teachers Award
Natasha Maimba – Best question at senior science career talk