Our Lady’s Bower sixth year student, Clare Reidy, savoured an education moment of a lifetime when she was named SciFest STEM Champion 2021 at the national final this past weekend.
Clare received the award for her innovative research project which explored Cosmic Radiation Protection, investigating effective building materials for future exploration of Mars.
Clare’s victory will see her represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF ) in Atlanta, Georgia, next May.
Cosmic radiation consists of high-energy particles travelling through space. Clare’s project investigated whether bricks made from Martian soil (regolith ) could be used to block cosmic radiation. She discovered that these bricks could offer effective protection against cosmic radiation and constructed an optimum brick using Martian regolith simulant as a primary component. Her discovery supports the use of Martian regolith bricks to protect future inhabitants of Mars.
Affording her congratulations to Clare, SciFest CEO, Sheila Porter, acknowledged the consistent high standard of entries at this year’s national final.
“We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to Clare for winning this year’s SciFest National Final. We received a tremendous number of entries this year and the standard was as high as we’ve come to expect from SciFest participants. At SciFest, our goal is to encourage a love for STEM subjects from an early age so it is really heartening to receive so many high-quality entries.
“The challenges posed by climate change and COVID-19 show the fundamental importance of science and that’s why it is vital that we continue to foster inquiry-based learning amongst students. In that vein I’d like to offer a sincere thanks and congratulations to all SciFest participants, their teachers and parents for all their hard work and continued enthusiasm for STEM,” Sheila Porter, SciFest CEO, asserted.
SciFest is the largest, most inclusive STEM fair programme for second level students in Ireland. The competition is free to enter and open to everyone across the island of Ireland, no matter their geographical location, background or circumstances. Now in its 16th year, SciFest is dedicated to encouraging and developing students’ interest in STEM in a fun and engaging way.
This year the SciFest National Final took place on a bespoke virtual platform which was custom designed for the awards and allowed students, teachers, and parents from around the country to view and participate in this year’s event. As well as the awards ceremony the platform also hosted a series of presentations from national and international speakers.
