SciFest 2022/2023 Surpasses all Expectations
The Resounding Success of SciFest 2022/2023 Showcased its Exceptional Value and Impact
More than 100,000 students have participated in SciFest since it was founded in 2006
Academic Year 2022/2023
- 123 SciFest STEM fairs
- 105 Local SciFest@School fairs
- 15 Regional SciFest@College Fairs
- 1 SciFest@Teen-Turn
- 1 SciFest@TCPID (Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities)
- 1 National Final
- Almost 12,000 students
- Almost 700 Teachers
- 264 Schools
- 29 Counties (26 Republic of Ireland, 3 Northern Ireland)
- 60% Yearly averagefemale participation
- 700+ volunteer judges
- 3 Online webinars hosted for teachers
- 420 media placements in the year to date, including in regional and national media and online
International Participation
- 3 students and their teacher from Killarney Community College represented Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas Texas, 14 May – 19 May 2023.
- 2 students and their teacher from Ursuline College, Sligo attended the Berlin Long Night of Science, 15 June – 18 June 2023.
Evaluation
Sample feedback from SciFest Alumni who participated in an independent external impact study on SciFest Alumni and Teachers (UK STEM Consultancy Company, Graphic Science 2021).
- 95% Improved Research Skills
- 95% Improved Critical Thinking Skills
- 93% Improved Teamwork and Collaboration Skills
- 91% Improved Problem-solving Skills
- 75% Influenced Subject Choice at Senior Level to Some Extent
- 78% studied a STEM subject at third level
Teachers' Comments:
'SciFest is a fantastic platform for all students to engage with inquiry and project based science. Students of all aptitudes and interests are accepted and get to showcase their hard work.'
'Every student is involved and the judging is competitive but not exclusively so. There are prizes ona range of levels so all types of projects feel they are in with a chance and the standard varies so massively that no student feels left out or disappointed.'
'Greater student and teacher engagement in scientific method module and was a major whole school event which allowed all year groups to come and look at the projects, We even integrated local primary schools by allowing them to come visit and by running a smaller competition for them.'