For the past number of months, 4th, 5th and 6th class students from across Ireland have been getting hands on with science and showcasing their big ideas as they take part in the annual Intel Mini Scientist competition.
The competition, which is now in its sixteenth year, gives young students the chance to explore science through project based learning and exhibitions.
Last week a regional final for the countrywide competition took place in Shannon.
The Shannon regional final took place on November 30th in the Intel offices where over 70 students from 20 different schools in Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Galway, and Kerry took part with a further 5 projects being selected to go forward to the Grand Final. Students exhibited their projects for a panel of judges, which was made up from Intel employees, who had the difficult task of choosing the winning projects from the very creative variety.
Students had qualified to the regional final following the first phase of the competition which involves students participating at exhibitions in their own schools. These exhibitions are visited by Intel employees who judge the first round of projects and select from each school a winning project to go forward to a regional final.
The 2022 Intel Mini Scientist competition saw almost 7,000 students from 97 schools in 21 counties across Ireland taking part.
The 5 winning projects from the Shannon regional final will now have the opportunity to go forward and participate in the National Mini Scientist Final taking place in the New Year. The National final will bring together projects from around the country all of which are being selected at regional final events.
The regional final was filled with innovative and imaginative projects, put together through months of hard work and the judges, after a very difficult task of deliberation, compiled their list of winning projects.
The 5 winning schools from the Shannon regional final are:
“Holy Mouldy” – is cleanliness an illusion? from Scoil Chríost Rí, Ennis, Co. Clare
The Windmill from Scoil na Mainistreach Quin Dangan, Quin, Co. Clare
Exciting Electricity from Knockanean National School, Ennis, Co. Clare
Hydraulic Power from Scoil Angela, Thurles, Co. Tipperary
Trash into Treasure from St. Patrick’s Boys and Girls National School, Co. Galway.