Killarney Community College Students Take Top Prize at SciFest National Final 2022 for Innovative Research
Liam Waldron, Rachel Griffin and Luke O’Sullivan sixth year students from Killarney Community College, Co. Kerry were named SciFest STEM Champions 2022, for their Group Theoretic Approach to Pythagoras’ Theorem and will go on to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in Dallas, Texas next year.
The National Final, held in the Marino Conference Centre in Dublin on 25 November, was attended by student finalists from all over Ireland. Liam, Rachel and Luke were presented with the SciFest STEM Champion 2022 Award by Sheila Porter, SciFest Founder and CEO. The students secured their place at the National Final after their victory at the SciFest regional final at MTU Kerry.
Pythagoras’ Theorem is a foundational theorem in geometry, with many far-reaching implications in other fields. There are many proofs of Pythagoras’ theorem, from geometry, trigonometry and even using the exponentiation properties of complex numbers. Their project, approached the Pythagorean Theorem through the framework of group theory, exploring the algebraic structures which can be defined within coordinate systems.
This year marks the 17th year of the SciFest programme which saw students participating in local and regional SciFest STEM fairs across the country. Since launching in 2006, more than 90,000 students have participated in the competition, which represents an average year-on-year increase of almost 20% in participation.
Supported by Intel Ireland and Boston Scientific, SciFest is the largest, most inclusive all-island STEM fair programme for second-level students in Ireland. SciFest is free to enter and open to everyone across the island of Ireland, no matter their background or circumstances. The most important thing for SciFest is the participation of students and encouraging their interest in STEM in a fun and engaging way.
6 дек 2022
