SciFest STEM Champion Wins again at EUCYS 2024 in Poland
Jack Shannon's amazing SciFest journey continues! Jack first competed as a first year student in a SciFest@School fair in his school, Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare. In fifth year he entered SciFest@College and won the Best Project award at SciFest@College in DCU. This award entitled him to a place in the SciFest 2023 National Final.
Winning the overall award at the National Final saw him declared SciFest STEM Champion 2023. His prize included an all-expenses-paid trip to compete in the 2024 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Los Angeles, California.
At ISEF Jack achieved First Place in the Environmental Engineering category and also earned the prestigious EUCYS award, which included an all-expenses-paid trip to Poland, where he represented the USA (and Ireland and SciFest) at the EU Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).
Jack's success continued at EUCYS where he was awarded the International Swiss Talent Forum Award. And his SciFest journey hasn't finished yet. His EUCYS award will see him attend the International Swiss Talent Forum in the Centre Loewenberg, Murten (FR), Switzerland from 18 - 22 February 2025.
| EUCYS has been organised by the European Commission since 1989 and is recognised as the premier European competition for young scientists. The 35th edition of the Contest was held in Katowice from 9 to 14 September 2024. This prestigious event, which was open to the general public free of charge, brought together around 150 brilliant young scientists, aged 14 to 20, from nearly 40 countries. Over the course of six days, these young minds presented approximately 90 scientific projects across various fields, including natural, mathematical, technical, economic, and social sciences. |
Jack's winning project is titled ‘Ireland’s Carbon Sinks – Remote Sensing for Monitoring Peatland Restoration,’ employs advanced remote sensing techniques to monitor the restoration and degradation of peatlands in Ireland. Focusing on Clara bog and Keelbanada bog, Jacks’s research leverages multispectral, LiDAR, SAR, and InSAR analyses to provide precise, ongoing data that aids in the planning and management of peatland restoration efforts. Jack’s project offers vital insights into how Ireland can better assess and achieve its carbon sequestration and restoration targets.
Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO expressed her pride in Jacks’s accomplishments: "We are thrilled with Jack's remarkable success at Regeneron ISEF in Los Angeles and at EUCYS in Katowice in Poland. Competing at ISEF and EUCYS is a tremendous honour and a unique opportunity for Jack to showcase his innovative work on a European and world stage. This achievement reflects not only his dedication but also the high standard of scientific inquiry encouraged and supported throughout SciFest. We wish Jack every success in his future career and are confident that he will continue to excel and inspire others in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.”