SciFest

02/09/2026

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

SciFest is taking THREE projects to Los Angeles in 2027!!

Three outstanding projects from this year’s National Final will go on to represent Ireland at Regeneron ISEF 2027, one of the world’s biggest international STEM competitions🚀

This is where SciFest will take YOU

01/09/2026

💡 What makes a good SciFest project idea?

It’s a question we’re asked all the time, and our advice is always the same: start with something that you are passionate about!

The best projects often grow from genuine curiosity. Think about the subjects you enjoy, the questions you find yourself asking, or a problem you’d love to solve. Then explore how you could turn that interest into research, an investigation or something you can design and test.

When you’re passionate about the topic, asking questions, overcoming challenges and discovering something new becomes part of the fun.

Your interests are a great place to start your SciFest journey! If you're looking for help on project ideas this term, check out our Student Resources page which has loads of great ideas here: https://www.scifest.ie/Page/Student-Resources/3633/Index.html

01/09/2026

https://www.snexplores.org/article/the-cyclops-may-be-an-ancient-myth-but-one-eyed-creatures-are-real =a7c1b136-51eb-40fc-b6e9-e6f90a470200

The iconic Cyclops of The Odyssey might look like a massive, one-eyed person, but it might have more in common with creatures other than humans.

31/08/2026

Funny how things come full circle… ✨

After every SciFest@College event, we ask participating students to complete a questionnaire about their experience, what worked, what didn’t, and what we might do better. At the end of the SciFest@College programme, one questionnaire is picked at random and that student receives a €50 One4all Gift Card.

This year, we were delighted to discover that the questionnaire drawn belonged to Daniel Sleator from Marist College, Athlone. Way back in 2008, Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO visited the college with Dr Noreen Morris from AIT, now Technological University of the Shannon, Athlone, met with teachers Georgina Clear and Julie Coyle and spoke to students in the college about being involved in SciFest.

Eighteen years later, Marist College Athlone is still very much part of the SciFest story. The school continues to run an excellent SciFest@School each year and had a record-breaking year in 2025, winning the Best School Award at SciFest@TUS Athlone, with Marist students taking home no fewer than eleven awards.

So somehow, out of all those questionnaires, it seems especially fitting that our 2026 €50 One4all Gift Card should find its way to a student from one of the schools that has been with us almost from the beginning.

Congratulations again to Daniel and to all at the Marist College Athlone. A big thank you to all the students and teachers in the school who have supported SciFest over the past 18 years.

Here’s to the next generation of Marist students and many more years of SciFest!

28/08/2026

😴 Science News: Forget the eight-hour sleep rule? Not exactly.

Eight hours has long been considered the ideal night’s sleep, but research suggests our sleep needs may be more individual. Studies of pre-industrial societies find people often sleep between six and seven hours a night. Researchers say sleep timing and alignment with our natural body clock may be just as important as duration. Read more here: https://genomicpress.kglmeridian.com/view/journals/brainmed/aop/article-10.61373-bm026w.0060/article-10.61373-bm026w.0060.xml

28/08/2026

Where Are They Now?

A SciFest project may begin in the classroom, but the journey can lead anywhere.

As we celebrate 20 years of SciFest, we are reconnecting with former participants and discovering the many different directions their curiosity, interests and ambitions have taken them.

This week, we are delighted to feature four more SciFest alumni:

✨ SciFest 2019: Alice Shaughnessy
Luminate, Clinical Engineering Specialist - Hybrid role involving early-stage research and development activities along with clinical trial operations.

✨ SciFest 2015: John Ryan
Senior Research Engineer at Isomorphic Labs London, England, UK

✨ SciFest 2017: Thomas Curtin
Managing director of Thomas Motors BBs (Hons) Accounting and Finance Graduate

✨ SciFest 2018: Gillian O'Donnell
Helping Semiconductor Manufacturers Build the Intelligent Test Floor | Smart Manufacturing | AI, Real-Time Intelligence & Data Collaboration | First Class Honours BSc Data Science & AI | yieldHUB

From Senior Research Engineer to Managing Director, their stories show that there is no single destination after SciFest.

Every journey is different and we are proud that SciFest has been part of theirs.

Were you part of SciFest? Join the SciFest Alumni Network Group on LinkedIn and tell tell us where your journey has taken you. We would love to reconnect with you.

27/08/2026

Calling all students and teachers! 🔬🚀

Get involved in SciFest and bring your ideas to life through science, technology, engineering and maths. Whether you’re investigating something you’re passionate about, solving a problem or simply curious to see where an idea might take you, SciFest is for everyone.

Start your SciFest journey today and see where STEM can take you!

25/08/2026

We heard SciFest is the place to be this year!!🎉

As you head back to school, start thinking about your SciFest project and get ahead of the crowd🥇

Remember, you do not need to be a scientist to create an amazing project you just have to be curious and passionate about what you are doing😮

25/08/2026

Where Could Your SciFest Project Take You? 🌍✈️

Entering SciFest could be the first step on an incredible STEM journey. Each year, some SciFest students earn the opportunity to take their projects beyond Ireland and represent SciFest on the international stage.

🇺🇸 America

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇩🇪 Germany

…and who knows where next!

It all starts with an idea, a question and the decision to give SciFest a go.

Your project could take you further than you ever imagined.

Think it. Explore it. Build it. Enter SciFest.

For more information visit www.scifest.ie

Irish Science Teachers Association

23/08/2026

SciFest is a place to belong ❤️