By Michelle Crean

From the use of face coverings to the effects of tablets in the digestive system, and the astounding health implications of screen time - Castleisland students have proved that their scientific investigations are top of the class.

MERIT: Fiona Brosnan Joanna Moynihan and Tara Enright are the proud recipients of the Merit Award.

SCIENTIFIC AWARD: Emma Buckley Cara Fleming and Danielle Moriarty won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award for their project on ‘Which Face Covering is the most Effective?’

FIRST PLACE: Abigail Martin and Daria Oliwniak picked up the prestigious award of first place for their investigation into coated and non-coated tablets.

MERIT: Fiona Brosnan, Joanna Moynihan and Tara Enright are the proud recipients of the Merit Award.

FIRST PLACE: Abigail Martin and Daria Oliwniak picked up the prestigious award of first place for their investigation into coated and non-coated tablets.

The teens from Presentation Secondary School Castleisland received four major awards on Monday at the MTU Tralee SciFest.

Emma Buckley, Danielle Moriarty, and Cara Fleming won the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award for their project on ‘Which Face Covering is the most Effective?’.

The girl’s project was deeply researched, informing the public about the different types of face coverings and the environmental impacts of incorrect disposing. Their research referenced experiments carried out at Duke University.

These students carried out their own experiment and surveyed their local community to gather data on just how knowledgeable we truly are on the topic of face coverings. The results were most revealing, and this award recognised the high level of research and reporting achieved by the students.

Fiona Brosnan, Tara Enright and Joanna Moynihan, who explored the use of screen time for both educational and recreational use, are the proud recipients of The Merit Award.

The girl’s gathered their own background research before they developed their project. They surveyed a range of students in different year groups to establish patterns of screen time among young people and identify the effects on young people. They identified how screen time use effected step count, blood pressure, productivity level, sleep, and happiness. The results are astounding.

Presentation Students also received awards for first and second place in the Intimidate Physical Sciences Category Awards.

Abigail Martin and Daria Oliwniak picked up the prestigious award of first place for their investigation into coated and non-coated tablets.

These girl’s took essential scientific knowledge of acid and bases and the digestive system to design an experiment to mimic what happens when tablets reach the stomach and the small intestine. The students used everyday household supplies such as lemon juice, baking soda, and Panadol as the chemicals for their project. This approach highlights once again for STEM students that science is not just a school subject but is part of our everyday lives. The girl’s presented their findings in a clear and concise manner, using images, data tables and graphical presentations.

Danielle Moriarty, Cara Fleming and Emma Buckley also received second place in this category, due recognition for the high quality research and presentation of their work.

ACHIEVEMENT

SciFest will provide trophies, plaques and other prizes to the students when they return to school in September.

Principal, Katherina Broderick congratulated the award winners for their tremendous achievement. “I have seen the girls’ presentations and I found them to be really insightful, interesting and most impressive," she said.

"The commitment to research and the high standard of the presentations of their scientific findings assures me that these students are well placed to have promising STEM careers if they choose to follow that path in the future.”

Ms Broderick also congratulated their science teacher, Ms Dooley for her leadership of STEM in the school and for her unstinting commitment which ensured that the TY students received this level of success in SciFest and other STEM programmes.

These students now represent Pres Castleisland in the next stage of the competition, the national final on November 19.