On Wednesday 9th of April, seven groups of 1st year and Transition Year students presented their projects at the Regional Final of SciFest in TUS Athlone.

After several months of experimentation, the groups compiled their results in booklets and prepared posters and displays consisting of food samples, essential oils and even a microwave model to help communicate their ideas.

Over the course of the day, groups presented their projects to judges from backgrounds ranging Microbiology to Veterinary Science. They all impressed the judges with their enthusiasm and knowledge of scientific concepts.

MCS groups were awarded 4 prizes on the day:

First years Denis Murray, Tom O’Connell and Conor Fox were awarded 1st Place in Junior Physical Sciences for their project ‘Freeze Free Drinkers’.

Rachel Pillion, Emma Kelly and Florence Casey won a Highly Commended award in the Junior Life Sciences category for their project ‘The Genetics of Picky Eating: Is it in your DNA?‘.

Transition years Aoife Ross, Katie Creggy and Katie Ann McHugh were awarded 1st Place in Intermediate Life Sciences for their project ‘Fungi Civil War: Using Birch Polypore to Create a Treatment Spray for Bovine Ringworm’.

Grace Galvin and Sophie Padden won a Highly Commended Award for their project ‘Is High Performance in Sport out of Reach for Short People?’.

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Back row:  Conor Fox, Hollie Field, Heidi Shellam, Tom O’Connell, Sophie Padden, Aoife Ross and Grace Galvin.

Middle row: Rachel Pillion, Saoirse Lynam, Florence Casey, Clodagh Kelly and  Katie Ann McHugh

Front row: Áine Flynn, Emma Kelly, Emily Galvin, Denis Murray and Avril Flynn

Absent from photo: Katie Creggy