Addison Carey to Represent Ireland and SciFest at Eskom Expo ISF 2025
SciFest is delighted to announce that Addison Carey, a Transition Year student at Celbridge Community School, has been selected by a panel of SciFest judges to represent Ireland and SciFest at the 45th Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF). The fair will take place at the Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, Johannesburg, South Africa, from 6 to 10 October 2025. All expenses will be covered by SciFest.
This is a historic occasion, as it will be the first time SciFest participates in person at the Eskom Expo ISF. In 2024, two SciFest students, Maura Moore-McCune from The King's Hospital School in Palmerstown, Dublin 20 and Kamaya Gogna from St Joseph's Secondary School in Rush, Co. Dublin competed successfully online. Maura was awarded a Gold Medal Award and Best in Category Award in the Biomedical and Medical Sciences and Kamaya a Silver Medal Award in the Computer Sciences and Software Development Category. We are delighted that this year Addison will have the opportunity to travel to South Africa to showcase her project
Addison’s project focuses on enhancing cybersecurity in the area of Lattice-based Cryptography by exploring approaches to the Shortest Vector Problem (SVP), a fundamental challenge in post-quantum cryptography based on complex mathematical problems. The purpose of the project is to develop and implement algorithms that can efficiently find short vectors in high-dimensional lattices, which are essential for creating secure encryption methods resistant to future quantum attacks. Madison designed a structured algorithmic approach, starting with lattice construction, preprocessing to reduce complexity, and then applying a refined selection method to approximate solutions to SVP. The algorithm was tested across lattices of different sizes and dimensions to evaluate its efficiency and accuracy, showing that it can reliably identify short vectors while remaining computationally feasible. The project demonstrates how algorithmic techniques can strengthen cryptographic systems and highlights the role of computational methods in enhancing data security.
Addison’s achievement is the culmination of a remarkable journey in SciFest. In 2024, she won the Best Project Award at SciFest@College TU Dublin, Tallaght and went on to claim the SciFest Junior Technologist of the Future Award at the SciFest 2024 National Final. This year, she once again secured the Best Project Award at SciFest@College in TU Dublin, Tallaght, earning her a place at the SciFest 2025 National Final, which will take place on 21 November. We warmly congratulate Addison on this outstanding success.
Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO, said:
"We are absolutely delighted that Addison has been selected to represent Ireland and SciFest at the Eskom Expo International Science Fair. This is a historic first for SciFest, as we participate in person at this prestigious international event. Addison’s success is a testament to her creativity, determination, and passion for science, and we have every confidence that she will do Ireland, SciFest, TU Dublin, and Celbridge Community School proud in South Africa."