For the fourth year funning Yeats College has received outstanding success at SciFest. This competition, held annually, provides a sterling opportunity for students to creatively engage with the various scientific fields. SciFest is a series of one-day science fairs for second-level students.
A SciFest fair consists of a competition and exhibition of projects, a prize-giving ceremony, and also includes a selection of science talks, and science demonstrations in the college laboratories.
For the fourth time Yeats College was the recipient of a prestigious award at the competition. Thomas Hayes received the top award in the field of biomedical science. The title of Thomas’ project is The Alternative Heart Valve Design. The aim of his work is to design and develop heart valve prototypes that can be used to treat heart valve diseases. The prototypes used ideas from current designs on the market and were developed using alternative designs and assembly methods. Thomas’ results were analysed and compared to international standards for heart valves.
Thomas Hayes will now travel to compete in the national final in Dublin in November.
All of the students who participated in this year’s SciFest distinguished themselves on the day. This competition was an excellent opportunity to further hone their interest in the sciences, but also an opportunity to build on their communication and inter-personal skills. This was a team effort under the expert guidance of their teacher Marian Lowry and is a perfect example of the mantra; hard work does pay off in the end.
