Young scientists at Roscommon Community College will have the opportunity to compete in a major competition to be hosted by the School of Science in AIT.

SciFest is a one-day science fair open to all second level students, which includes a competition and exhibition of projects, a selection of science talks and a prize-giving ceremony. SciFest aims to encourage a love of science through an investigative approach to learning and to provide an opportunity for students to display their scientific discoveries.

Significant prizes will be awarded to successful candidates and the exhibition day will also be marked by some keynote speakers. Projects may encompass physical sciences, life sciences and technology. Students will have the opportunity to compete for a number of awards including: Intel Best Project Award, Abbott Runner-up Best Project Award, BT Best Communicator Award and the Discover Sensors Award. This year, there are two new award categories: global citizenship and sustainability, and Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Award.

This is the eight year for AIT to host a SciFest event. The event is jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science and Engineering and is supported by a number of other partners. The project thus creates a valuable link between the second and third level education sectors and between education and industry.