Second-level students in Kerry swept the board at the recent SciFest regional final.
Over 100 projects by over 200 students from 16 schools competed in the STEM fair in MTU Kerry, with projects ranging from health and chemistry to renewable energy and sports science.
Clodagh de Búrca from Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí took home the Best Project Award for her entry entitled ‘Surviving the Storm’, exploring Ireland's preparedness for extreme weather.
Meanwhile, Alex Thompson, Eoin Cashman and Kamil Zoltek of Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore claimed the Runner-Up Best Project prize for their investigation into ‘Analysing Ballistic Trajectories of Dust Particles from the Apollo 16 Lunar Roving Vehicle’.
The SciFest national final will take place in November, where the students could win the opportunity to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Scifest MTU Kerry Campus Winners 2025
| Award | Student Name | Project | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Project Award | Clodagh de Búrca | Surviving the Storm | Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí |
| Runner Up Best Project | Alex Thompson, Eoin Cashman, Kamil Zoltek | Analysing Ballistic trajectories of dust particles from the Apollo 16 lunar roving vehicle to evaluate acceleration due to gravity on the lunar surface | Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore |
| Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award | Emma Heaphy, Abbie Mazzelle | Glucosmart: AI powered Diabetes Assistant | Presentation Secondary School, Listowel |
| Eirgrid Cleaner Climate Award | Arush Satyavolu | Vertical Axis Wind Turbines | C.B.S Secondary School, Tralee |
| Eirgrid Cleaner Climate Award - Runner Up | Moira Butler, Aisling Dillon | Sea Savers: Engineering sustainable artificial coral reefs | Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee |
| Mallinckrodt STEM Excellence Award | Feidhlim Ginty, Conan Seion, Torran Millar | How can the mechanics of origami be applied to modern engineering | Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee |
| Intel Technology Award | Julia Cronin, Abigail Hurley, Jessica Jijoe | Can you hear AI? | St Aloysius School, Sharman Crawford Street, Cork |
| Scifest Physics Award | Luke Fealey, Eric Michael Sheehy, Darragh Keane | Fall for Science: Tracking Gravity with Smart Tech | Colaiste na Riochta, Listowel |
| Business Excellence Institute Award | Divyanshi Shukla, Paullyn Claire Arce | Biodegradable Paper Bags | Presentation Secondary School, Tralee |
| Scifest Communications Award | Namarig Ahmed, Mariam Tsiklauri, Lea Mecanovic | Eco-Mindset | Presentation Secondary School, Tralee |
| Scifest Maths in Science Award | Benedek Hernold-Csorba, Kai Seino | Fractal Footprints: Mapping the Mathematical Patterns of Cities | Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee |
| Regeneron Life Sciences Award | Riona McMorrow Moriarty, Anna O'Sullivan, Sophie Leen | The benefits of exercise on brain health & memory | Presentation Secondary School, Tralee |
| Dawn Meats Agricultural Science Award | Chris Neerakkal | Sustainable Biostimulant Approaches to counteract nitrogen's impact on Climate change | C.B.S Secondary School, Tralee |
| Scifest Chemistry Student Award | Oluwatomiwa Abigail Adetunji, Jolin Weng, Jeri Maeve Samonte | Peeling back the science: Purifying fast fashion run-off with orange peels | Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee |
| ESERO Discover Space Student Award | Jarlath Malachy Wruck | The role of dark matter in the Andromeda Galaxy | Mean Scoil Nua An Leith Triuigh, Castlegregory |
| Irish Science Teachers Association Award | Gearoid Hingston, Ben Deegan, Cian O'Halloran | Manual communication and learning device for children or adolescents with intellectual disabilities | Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee |
