Primary school pupils from across the Northern Sound region are this week participating in the ESB Science Blast this week at the RDS in Dublin. It is a STEM-focused education programme involving whole classes investigating the science behind a simple question. The judging is non-competitive and aimed at growing pupils' interest and passion for STEM. Now in its fifth year, over 35,000 children have participated in ESB Science Blast to date, making it the largest primary school programme on the island of Ireland.
Participating schools in Cavan and Monaghan include Scoil Mhuire in Clontibret, Monaghan; St. Joseph's NS in Kingscourt, Cavan; Gaelscoil Bhreifne in Aghnaskerry, Cavan; and Gaelscoil Ultain, Monaghan.
Two fifth year classes at St Joseph's National School in Kingscourt are among those who will showcase their experiment. Speaking to Northern Sound, Maria Duff who is a teacher at St Joseph's NS in Co Cavan revealed the two questions prepared by each class were; 'If the world suddenly stopped spinning what would happen to us?' And 'Can we find biodegradable and sustainable materials to replace plastic in packaging?'
As part of the project, pupils surveyed the wider school body to get an idea on what people's awareness was in relation to the environment. Maria added that the results were "very encouraging" and that students were "inspired" by how much their peers cared about the planet.
