Tipperary students win award at final of National SciFest competition

Above: Presentation Secondary School Clonmel students Bianca Gouws (left) and Sheryl Merin with Science teacher Jacqueline Ryan, and the high-quality project in Sensory Stimulation with which the students received an Excellence in STEM award at the National Sci Fest Finals in Dublin. Picture: John D Kelly

Congratulations are extended to students Bianca Gouws and Sheryl Merin, who represented Presentation Secondary School Clonmel and the south east region in the National SciFest competition in Dublin at the end of November.

Bianca and Sheryl, who are Sixth Year students, received an Excellence in STEM award for their high-quality project in Sensory Stimulation at the National SciFest Finals.

The STEM Department in Presentation Clonmel is very proud of the girls’ achievement.

It was the first in-person event in three years, and the standard of projects was of the highest standard.

The competition is now in its 17th year.

The Presentation students utilised Microsoft surveys to correlate data from local, national and international autism agencies and universities.

From their findings, they constructed a sensory board, which the pair have kindly donated to the new ASD unit in the school.

Special mention must be made of Lizette Gouws and Mercy Sebastian, parents of both girls, who helped ignite the idea of sensory stimulation; both work in the health profession in our local hospital.

Thanks are also extended to Diarmuid Meagher, PhD, Director of Research and Development in Abbott Clonmel, who gave his time to review their project; and to Jacqueline Ryan, Science teacher in Presentation Clonmel for encouraging and advising both girls with their project.