Science fairs to take place across Ireland

SciFest is a local one-day science fair held in several third level colleges and open to all second level students. A SciFest fair includes a competition and exhibition of projects, a selection of science talks, science demonstrations in the college laboratories and a prize-giving ceremony. SciFest aims to encourage a love of science through an investigative approach to learning and to provide an opportunity for students to display their scientific discoveries.

The inaugural SciFest was held in the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin, in 2006. Following a second successful SciFest in Tallaght in 2007 the project was launched nationwide in September 2007. In late April/early May 2008 a total of nine Institutes of Technology hosted SciFest science fairs.

Thirteen institutes of technology along with the Tipperary Institute and Queen's University Belfast will take part in SciFest 2009. Events take place from late April to early May.

Scifest is jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science and Engineering and is supported by a number of other partners. The project seeks to create scientific links between second and third level education sectors and between education and industry.

Visit www.scifest.ie for further information.