Taispeántas Eolaí Óg agus Teicneolaíochta BT

Gach bliain spreagann Taispeántas Eolaí Óg agus Teicneolaíochta BT na mílte duine óg ar fud na tíre leis an domhan thart orthu a fhiosrú ar bhealach eolaíochta. Áiríonn sé sin cuid mhaith daltaí inár scoileanna féin ach cad atá i gceist leis an chomórtas? Tá ceann dár gcuid scoileanna i Leitir Ceanainn, Coláiste Ailigh, ag glacadh páirte sa chomórtas ón bhliain 2000 ar aghaidh agus sa bhlag seo beidh an múinteoir eolaíochta, Shane Ó Breacáin, a dhéanann iontrálacha na scoile a chomhordú, ag insint dúinn níos mó fá dtaobh de.

Tá rannphártíocht i dTaispeántas Eolaí Óg agus Teicneolaíochta BT lárnach d’obair Choláiste Ailigh ó bunaíodh é sa bhliain 2000. Thuig an t-Iar-Phríomhoide, Mícheál Ó Giobúin, ón tús an t-eispéireas iontach foghlama a thug an comórtas do dhaltaí agus bhí sé paiseanta faoi rannpháirtíocht a spreagadh. Múinteoir eolaíochta ba ea Mícheál ach d’éirigh sé as le gairid. Éiríonn le daltaí snas a chur ar dhá thacar scileanna le linn mionscrúduithe eolaíochta .i. scileanna cruthaitheacha agus scileanna anailíseacha. Bíonn orthu cur lena scileanna eagrúcháin agus foghlaim faoin dóigh le hoibriú mar pháirt de ghrúpa le cloí le sprioc-am. Mar aon le gnéithe fisiceacha, ceimiceacha, bitheolaíocha, matamaiticiúla agus teicneolaíochta na dtionscadal thar na blianta, bhí eilimint d’eolaíocht shóisialta agus iompraíochta i gceist le roinnt mhaith de na tionscadail fosta, rud a thug an deis do dhaltaí a bheith ina saoránaigh fhiosracha agus iad ag breathnú ar thopaicí tráthúla éagsúla a bhí i mbéal an phobail ag an am agus iad a mheas. Ina theannta sin bíonn eispéireas ar dóigh ag na daltaí mar go gcaitheann siad ceithre lá i mBaile Átha Cliath ag taispeáint a gcuid tionscadal agus á míniú do na breithniúa, don phobal agus do na meáin chumarsáide, gan trácht ar na gníomhaíochtaí éagsúla a eagraítear do na tráthnónta. Eispéireas den scoth a bhíonn ann gan dabht agus bíonn na daltaí ábalta daltaí eile a chur ar an eolas faoi, rud a chuireann le mealltachtt an chomórtais laistigh de phobal na scoile. Sampla amháin den dóigh ar spreag eispéireas ar leith daltaí eile ná na dearthaireacha McGeehan, Eoin agus Rónán; bhain siad an chéad áit ina gcatagóir nuair a rinne siad stoda bóthair le rabhadh a thabhairt do thiomanaithe agus sioc ann. Bhain siad turas go Seattle le Analog Devices fosta!

Faoin am ar thosaigh mise a dh’obair sa scoil sa bhliain 2004 bhí rannpháirtíocht sa chomórtas leabaithe i gcultúr na scoile cheana féin agus chuaigh an díograis don chomórtas go mór i bhfeidhm orm agus chuaigh mé isteach san fhoireann múinteoirí ó gach réimse ábhar a bhí ag spreagadh daltaí le páirt a ghlacadh ann, ag cuidiú leo agus ag déanamh monatóireachta orthu. Tháinig smaointe maidir le tionscadail ó gach áit; sin an fáth a bhfuil Coláiste Ailigh go mór chun tosaigh maidir leis an leibhéal rannpháirtíochta sa chomórtas gach bliain.

D’oscail an rannpháirtíocht sin bealaí cumarsáide idir pobal na scoile agus an ceantar aitiúil mar go raibh cuidiú i gcónaí ar fáil go fonnmhar ó aon duine ar iarradh a leithéid uaidh. I measc na ndaoine a chuidigh le tionscadail a chur i gcrích thar na blianta tá tuismitheoirí, an t-aonad áitiúil cóiréala uisce, an Garda Síochána, agus Leabharlann Phoiblí Leitir Ceanainn. Tá an scoil go mór faoi chomaoin ag LyIT, mar a thugtaí ar an institiúid, a roinn a gcuid ama agus saineolais go fonnmhar agus go díograiseach agus iad ag stiúradh roinnt mhaith de na tionscadail. Tá lúcháir orm a rá go bhfuil caidreamh láidir oibre againn le OTA Leitir Ceanainn go fóill sa mhéid is gur thug siad tacaíocht agus cúnamh nach beag do cheann de na tionscadail a bhain duais i mbliana.

Ar an ábhar sin, bhí muid thar a bheith sásta leanúint le traidisiún na rannpháirtíochta i mbliana (2023) agus d’éirigh le cúig tionscadal áit a bhaint amach sa Taispeántas san RDS agus mar bhuntáiste sa bhreis tháinig na daltaí ar ais go Leitir Ceanainn le cúig ghradam! I measc na dtionscadal a bhí ann i mbliana bhí: leacht lasairmhoillitheach éiceabhách inacmhainne a chruthú, suirbhé agus anailís a dhéanamh ar an dóigh a bhfuil dearcaí ag athrú maidir le hinfheistiú i bhfuinneamh in-athnuaite agus insliú sa bhaile mar gheall ar an ardú atá tagtha ar chostas breosla. Tugadh na tionscadail uilig thar na blianta chun críche, ní hamháin mar gheall ar iarrachtaí na ndaltaí iad féin agus roinn na heolaíochta sa scoil, ach mar gheall ar chomhoibriú agus cúnamh na foirne uilg sa scoil agus an tacaíocht iontach ó lucht bainistíochta na scoile. Tá iarracht foirne de dhíth i ndáiríre le cuidiú le daltaí dul i ngleic leis an ualach oibre ollmhór a bhaineann le taighde a dhéanamh do thionscadal, tionscadal a dhearadh, tionscadal a fhorbairt agus a chruthú ach ní féidir na torthaí a áireamh!

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Ba iad na cúig iontráil a bhí ag Coláiste Ailigh in BTYSTE 2023 ná (1 = iontráil aonair; 2-5 = obair ghrúpa)

1. “Le dó nó gan a dhó” – Leacht lasairmhoillitheach éiceabhách inacmhainne a chruthú
(Na hEolaíochtaí Ceimiceacha, Fisiceacha agus Matamaiticiúla)
2. Fiosrú ar an chumas atá ag plandaí éagsúla cosc a chur ar chreimeadh cósta.
(Na hEolaíochtaí Bitheacha agus Éiceolaíocha)
3. Fiosrú ar éifeacht lus an phiobair ar an luas freagartha i ndéagóirí.
(Na hEolaíochtaí Bitheacha agus Éiceolaíocha)
4. An bhfuil dírítheoirí gruaige ag déanamh do ghruaig níos laige?
(Na hEolaíochtaí Ceimiceacha, Fisiceacha agus Matamaiticiúla)
5. An bhfuil tionchar ag arduithe costais breosla ar an chinneadh fuinneamh in-athnuaite a úsáid sa teach? (Na hEolaíochtaí Sóisialta agus Iompraíochta)

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BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition

Each year the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition inspires thousands of young people across the country to explore the world around them from a scientific perspective including many in our own schools but what does the competition involve? Our Letterkenny school, Coláiste Ailigh has participated in the competition since 2000 and in this blog, science teacher Shane Ó Breacáin, who coordinates the school’s entries, tells us more about it.

Participation in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition has been integral to the workings of Coláiste Ailigh since its foundation in the year 2000. Recently retired principal Mícheál Ó Giobúin, a science teacher himself, understood from the start the incredible learning experience that the competition offered to students and was passionate about encouraging participation. From organisational skills, learning to work within a group to meeting a deadline, both the creative and analytical skillsets were honed during the course of a scientific investigation. Along with the physical, chemical, biological, mathematical and technological aspects of projects over the years, many of the projects had an element of social and behavioural science to them which gave the students the opportunity to be outlooking citizens as they observed and evaluated various topical societal concerns of the time. Add to this the fantastic experience of spending four days staying in Dublin exhibiting their projects, communicating and explaining them to judges, the public and the media, not to mention the various activities that are organised for the evenings, and it made for a very appealing experience to be recounted by those of experience to other students, amplifying the appeal of the competition within the school community. One example of inspiration by example is when the McGeehan brothers Eoin and Rónán, having come first in their category for inventing a modified cat’s eye to alert drivers of icy conditions, also won a trip to Seattle with Analog Devices.

By the time I landed in the school in 2004, participation in the competition was already embedded in the culture of the school and I was immediately infected by the enthusiasm for the competition and joined the ranks of teachers from all subject areas who were encouraging, assisting and mentoring students to take part. Project ideas came from all directions which lead to the Coláiste Ailigh having very high levels of participation in the competition each year.

This participation opened avenues of communication between the school community and the local area as assistance was always enthusiastically forthcoming from anyone approached. Parents, the local water treatment facility in Letterkenny, the Garda Síochana, and the Letterkenny Public Library are but a few of those who assisted in getting many projects over the line. The school is particularly indebted to members of the then LYIT who freely and enthusiastically gave their valuable time and expertise in guiding many of the projects over the years and I am very happy to say that the relationship with ATU Letterkenny is going strong in this respect where they provided invaluable support and assistance with one of the prize-winning projects that took part this year.

On that note, we were delighted to continue the tradition of participation this year (2023) with five projects managing to make it through to the Exhibition in the RDS and as a bonus the students came back to Letterkenny with five awards! Projects this year ranged from creating an affordable and ecologically friendly liquid flame retardant to surveying and analysing changing attitudes towards investment in renewable energy and insulation in the home due to rising fuel costs. All of the projects over the years have come to fruition, not only due to the efforts of the students themselves and the science department in the school, but because of the cooperation and assistance of the entire school staff and the great support from the school management. It really takes a team effort to help the students deal with the great workload involved in researching, designing, developing and creating a project, but the rewards are incalculable!

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Coláiste Ailigh five BTYSTE 2023 entries were (1 Individual entry; 2-5 Group entries):

1. “To burn or not to burn” – Creating an affordable and ecologically friendly liquid flame retardant (Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences)
2. Investigation into the ability of various plants to prevent water erosion (Biological and Ecological)
3. Investigation into the effect of peppermint on the response rate of teenagers (Biological and Ecological)
4. Are hair straighteners making your hair weaker? (Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences)
5. Do the increasing costs of fuel have an influence on the decision to use renewable energy at home (Social and Behavioural Sciences)