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Faculty of Science & Health
Zack O'Leary
SciFest@DCU winner Zack O'Leary

SciFest 2025 marks 10th year at DCU

Zack O'Leary
391 post-primary school students from 32 schools from across Dublin, Kildare, Meath Offaly and Wicklow took part in SciFest@DCU

Zack O’Leary, a second-year student in Clongowes Wood College received the Best Project Award at SciFest@DCU for his project Simulating Muon Flux: A novel approach to advance subsurface imaging. His teacher was Yvonne Nolan. Zack will represent DCU at the SciFest National Final in November 2025. Ruby Gregan, a transition year student from Coláiste Bhríde Carnew received the Runner-Up Best Project Award for her project entitled Investigating the Effect of Fast Fashion Dye on the Growth of Plants. Her teacher was Lauren Byrne.

SciFest@DCU coordinator Dr. Eilish McLoughlin from the School of Physical Sciences said: 

“This was the 10th year that DCU hosted the SciFest regional fair and our biggest one yet – with over 60% of projects presented in the Junior category and 33% of projects presented by individuals. Many congratulations to 52 teachers that supported the students to develop and present a wonderful selection of innovative and inspiring STEM projects”.

Ruby Gregan
SciFest@DCU runner-up Ruby Gregan

SciFest founder and CEO Sheila Porter said

“SciFest is more than just a STEM fair: it is a launchpad for young innovators, equipping second-level students with the confidence, skills, and curiosity to tackle real-world challenges. By engaging in hands-on research, collaborating with mentors, and connecting with like-minded peers, participants gain invaluable experience that extends far beyond the competition. With over 15,000 students taking part, each year and participation continuing to grow, SciFest is shaping the future of STEM education and innovation.

This incredible momentum is driven by the unwavering dedication of teachers, mentors, parents, third-level coordinators, and our valued partners and sponsors. Their commitment ensures that every student, regardless of background, gender, ability or circumstance can explore, discover, and innovate. We are deeply grateful for their support in inspiring the next generation of changemakers."

SciFest@DCU 2025 winner Zack O’Leary said 

“Existing subsurface imaging techniques are expensive and inefficient. I aim to use muons to study their interactions with materials and create a 3D model of the SURF mine’s rock formations and internal structure in South Dakota. Using computer simulations, I will accurately model muon flux and process the data with Python, generating scatter plots and heatmaps.

By combining various data outputs, my novel method should accurately represent the subsurface structure, detect anomalies, and identify mineral deposits. This will have created the basis of a novel imaging technique, developed remotely from 6,500 km away, and requiring no money."

SciFest 2025
Attendees at SciFest@DCU

13 projects received Special Category Awards:

  • Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award went to Caroline Asiruvatham and Niamh Bonallie, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Navan for their project “Feel the Way”. Teacher: Bronagh Farrell.

  • EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award went to Éabha McBride, Leah Mullen and Layla Nolan from St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rush for their project “Enhancing the reliability and accuracy of the UV index formula through machine learning and classification algorithms”. Teacher: Danny Murray.

  • Mallinckrodt STEM Excellence Award went to Áine McGoldrick, Grace O’Mahony and Lauren Hand from Loreto Abbey Secondary School for project “The Science of Sound: From Vibrations to Voices”. Teacher: David Cullen.

  • Intel Technology Award went to Conor O'Neill and Alexander Vysotski from The Institute of Education for their project “TactAI”. Teacher: Catriona Hendry.

  • SciFest Physics Award    went to Stephanie Cherish Dan from St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rushfor her project “Wave-Powered Energy: Assessing WEC Performance”. Teacher: Helen Teehan.

  • Business Excellence Institute Award went to Ema Costache, Joanna Ogunkoyejo and Khamilla Emillien from Grange Community College for their project “Supscholar”. Teacher: Caoimhe Curnyn.

  • SciFest Communication Award went to Daithi Reilly and Liam Barrett from Coláiste Phádraig CBS for their project “Say gambling I heard you like em young”. Teacher: Jacqueline Farrell.

  • SciFest Maths in Sciences Award went to Niamh Másún from Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nua for her project “Iniúchadh ar na hÉagsúlachtaí a Fhaightear idir Samhlacha Difriúla Dinimice Néarónach”. Teacher: Maria Ní Ghóillidhe.

  • Regeneron Life Sciences Award went to Aimee Kendal and Lauren Maguire from St. Colmcille's Community School for their project “Nailed it…too far!” Teacher: Roisin Weldon.

  • Dawn Meats Agricultural Science Award went to Sara Grant from Malahide Community School for her project “Lord of The Roots: Fellowship of the Fungus”. Teacher: Caroline Tighe. 

  • SciFest Chemistry Award went to DJ Leonard, from Clongowes Wood College for his project “Building a better future, reducing carbon emissions in the production of concrete”. Teacher: Yvonne Nolan.

  • ESERO Space Award went to Riya Kashyap and Tracy Oronsaye from Adamstown Community College for their project “Chemically modifying the genetics of algae to improve the atmosphere of Mars”. Teacher: Sean O’Donnell.

  • Irish Science Teachers Association Award (Best project in Junior category)          went to Elsie O'Connell and Shanael Rebin from St. Conleths College for their project “Seas the Day- Unveiling the Secrets that the Sea Provides”. Teacher: Seamus Callaghan.

 

11 projects received Special Category Awards:

  • Felicity McGuinness, Emma McKeown, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rush. “Leftover AI: Intelligent recipes from your fridge”. Teacher: Danny Murray.

  • Martha Feely, St. Joseph's Secondary School, Rush.  ”The role of predatory invertebrates in managing flatworm invasions". Teacher: Kevin Delahunty

  • Erin Hardie, Loreto College. “An investigation into person perception”. Teacher: Ciara Lynn.

  • Christopher Carroll, St. Kevin's College. “Unraveling the Ancient Origins: A Comparative Study of Prehistoric Illnesses from Cancer to EHV and Arthritis”. Teacher: Ash Hussain.

  • James Martin, Harry Treacy, Senan Brosnan, Willow Park School. “EcoBond: Converting Styrofoam Waste into Sustainable Adhesives”. Teacher: Emma Startin.

  • Enzo Martin Aramburo, Clongowes Wood College. “The influence of Car Shape on Aerodynamics” Teacher: Yvonne Nolan.

  • Olivia Cleary, Dominican College. “A Focus on the Moving Sofa Problem”. Teacher: Seán Costello.

  • Grace Hughes, Leila Burke Kennedy, Loreto Abbey Secondary School. “Elevating Physics”. Teacher: David Cullen.

  • Davin Gaffney, Clongowes Wood College, “MatchScoreTracker - Development of a Web App for live tracking of scores in schoolboy rugby using Clongowes Wood College as a pilot school”. Teacher: Yvonne Nolan

  • Odhran D'Arcy, Coláiste Bhríde Carnew, “Farmers vs. Gamers, Who Can React Faster?”. Teacher:  Aimee Walsh.

  • Sophia Sykes, Gaelcholáiste Mhaigh Nuad. “Power of the Panels”. Teacher: Emma Nic an Mhaoir.

About SciFest

SciFest, founded in 2006 is a true celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) education. Spanning all of Ireland it has grown in the 19 years to become Ireland’s largest second-level STEM fair programme. SciFest fairs provide a platform for students to showcase their projects, exchange ideas, and connect with fellow enthusiasts and experts alike.

The SciFest programme is funded primarily by the Department of Education, Research Ireland, Intel Ireland, Boston Scientific, EirGrid and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.