Deep Learning and Bovine Efficiency: Next Generation of Scientists Honoured at SciFest@DCU 2026
DCU recently hosted 282 students from 26 schools across Dublin, Kildare, and Meath. The event, now in its 11th year at the university, saw over 40 judges from academia and industry evaluate a diverse array of scientific investigations.
Top Honours for Brain Tumour Research
The premier accolade, the Best Project Award, was presented to Riain Singh, a Transition Year student from Clongowes Wood College. His project, NeuroClassify, utilised a custom Convolutional Neural Network to achieve a 95% accuracy rate in classifying brain tumours from MRI scans.
Under the guidance of teacher Yvonne Nolan, Singh’s research involved training three deep learning models across a dataset of up to 7,100 images. His findings demonstrated a systematic relationship between dataset size and accuracy, with the ResNet50 model achieving state-of-the-art performance levels. Singh will now progress to represent DCU at the SciFest National Final in November 2026.
Innovation in Agriculture and Medicine
The Runner-Up Best Project Award was secured by Patrick Cribbin, Seán Harrigan, and Ciarán Enright from Boyne Community School. Their study, Time and Type, investigated methods to reduce the time required to finish beef cattle without compromising meat quality or increasing costs for farmers—a critical consideration for the modern agricultural sector.
Dr Eilish McLoughlin, SciFest@DCU co-ordinator, remarked:
“DCU is proud to host the SciFest regional fair for the 11th year and enable nearly 300 students to come to DCU to showcase their investigations and findings. The students displayed their curiosity, creativity, scientific thinking, and engagement in inclusive STEM with real-world impact. We are grateful to the 40 judges that gave their time to discussing the wonderful STEM investigations carried out by these students.”
Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO, noted that as the competition celebrates its 20th anniversary, it remains a vital launchpad for Irish innovation:
“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. As SciFest celebrates its 20th anniversary, we are proud to reflect on two decades of empowering students across Ireland to think creatively, ask questions, and develop solutions through hands-on scientific inquiry.
“By engaging in research, collaborating with mentors, and connecting with like-minded peers, participants gain invaluable experience that extends far beyond the competition. With over 16,000 students taking part in 2025 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, has the opportunity to explore, discover, and innovate. We are deeply grateful for their support in inspiring the next generation of changemakers.”
SciFest@DCU 2026: Full List of Award Recipients
|
Award |
Winner(s) |
School |
Project Title / Focus |
|
Best Project Award |
Riain Singh |
Clongowes Wood College |
NeuroClassify: Custom CNN Achieving 95% Brain Tumour Classification |
|
Runner-Up Best Project |
P. Cribbin, S. Harrigan, C. Enright |
Boyne Community School |
Time and Type: Finishing beef cattle earlier without sacrificing quality |
|
Boston Scientific Medical Devices |
Eliza Simhas |
Loreto Secondary School, Navan |
BreathSafe: ML-Enabled Early-Warning Device for Asthma Risk |
|
EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award |
Ryan Doran |
Castleknock College |
Revolutionising Biogas Production with an All-In-One Digester |
|
Intel Technology Award |
Swasti Sahoo |
Adamstown Community College |
Symbiome: Predicting Stress and Mapping Resilience in Adolescents |
|
Regeneron Life Sciences Award |
B. Petrov, S. Hashmi, J.H. Zhao |
Castleknock College |
Asthma Watch Monitor |
|
Keenova STEM Excellence |
T. Pegum, B. O’Connell |
Gonzaga College |
Properties of Wool in Pressure Sore Prevention and Wound Dressing |
|
Business Excellence Institute |
William Byren |
Castleknock College |
Using hydrogen to generate clean sustainable energy |
|
SciFest 20th Anniversary Award |
E. O'Connell, S. Rebin |
St. Conleth's College |
Medicine in our Hedgerows |
|
SciFest Physics Award |
Kaashvi Saxena |
Coláiste Naomh Mhuire |
Effect of Wavelength Filtering on Solar Panel Power Output |
|
SciFest Chemistry Award |
S. Johnson, A.J. Pulickal |
Loreto College Swords |
Antacid vs An Acid |
|
SciFest Maths in Sciences |
I. Mazur, J. Adeyemi |
Clongowes Wood College |
Modelling the Growth of the Invasive Asian Hornet in Ireland |
|
Social Science Award |
E. Peppard, A. Ciosu |
St Joseph's Secondary School, Rush |
More Than Just Period Pain: Raising Awareness of Endometriosis |
|
ESERO Space Award |
R. Kashyap, T. Oransoye |
Adamstown Community College |
Mars Bioaugmentation with Lactobacillus or Yeast for Vitamins |
|
ISTA Award (Junior Category) |
R. Dhanvantara, A. Lin, M. Slusarczyk |
Castleknock College |
Can robots take care of plants better than humans? |
|
SciFest Communication Award |
Sienna Gaskin |
Loreto College Swords |
The race of nature |
DCU Individual Commendations
|
Winner |
School |
Project Focus |
|
Valentine Chukwuemeka Nwaeme |
Firhouse Educate Together |
Factors affecting the rate of osmosis |
|
Matilda Byrne O’Muiré |
Loreto College St Stephen's Green |
A study into the uses of biochar |
|
Marwa Hussein |
Colaiste na hInse |
Use of herbal extracts in skin products |
ENDS
SciFest, founded in 2006, is a true celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) education and proudly marks its 20th anniversary this year. Spanning all of Ireland, it has grown over the past two decades 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. Participation offers an exciting opportunity for students to explore, innovate, and share their passion for STEM subjects. In 2025, more than 16,000 students participated in SciFest.
SciFest operates throughout the school year and, being locally and regionally based and free to enter, is highly inclusive and accessible. Winners from each regional STEM fair progress to the national final each November. From there, top students go on to represent Ireland at prestigious international events including the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the United States, the Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF) in South Africa, and the Long Night of Science in Berlin.
The SciFest programme is funded primarily by the Department of Education, Intel Ireland, Boston Scientific, EirGrid, and Keenova.