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13 Post-primary school students from schools all over Dublin, Meath and Kildare took science to the next level with over 80 projects at SciFest@ITB 2018

Of the over 80 projects exhibited at SciFest@ITB (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown) 2018, the top prize on the day went to Adam Kelly from Skerries Community College for his project, An Open Source Solution to GPU Accelarated Quantum Computer Simulation.

As one of the 16 regional venues hosting a SciFest STEM fair, SciFest@ITB saw more than 180 students from schools all over the region exhibit almost 80 projects at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and put their knowledge of science to the test.

SciFest@ITB co-ordinator Aideen Hodgins said: "We are delighted to host SciFest for our 10th Year. It is a fantastic annual event and a wonderful opportunity for students and encourages them to develop an interest in STEM. The joy of seeing students showcasing their work and communicating their ideas to others is immensely encouraging and motivational for everyone involved."

SciFest is an all-inclusive, all-island science initiative which fosters active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning among second-level students. SciFest is funded primarily by Science Foundation Ireland, Intel and Boston Scientific.

Commenting on the SciFest@ITB 2018 regional STEM fair Sheila Porter, SciFest CEO said: "2017 was the tenth anniversary for SciFest and a hugely successful year with another big increase in the number of students taking part. In total 10,000 students exhibited their projects in local and regional STEM fairs across the country. We are sure that 2018 will be another successful year. SciFest gives students an excellent opportunity to develop their interest in STEM and inquiry-based approaches to learning, while developing their creative and problem-solving skills and learning to work in a team."

SciFest 2018 will be the fourth year of the prestigious Boston Scientific Medical Devices Award, which is presented at each of the 16 regional science fairs; the overall winner of this award will go on to compete for the Boston Scientific Medical Devices Grand Award at the national final in November.