It demonstrates that students have responded to the shift to inquiry based learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects which will ultimately lead to improvements in the performance of students in these subjects in the Leaving Certificate.

Commenting, Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science and Engineering, said, “The increased participation at higher level by the Project Maths pilot group is very encouraging.  The project is ensuring that mathematics in school is becoming more relevant to the everyday lives of students by further developing their understanding of maths concepts and their applications. This is particularly important in the context of developing a Smart Economy as it will help students build skills that they will use both in the world of work and in their lives generally.”

“We will also see improvements in physics and chemistry in the future when inquiry based project coursework, which has already been introduced at Junior Certificate level, is fully rolled out for the Leaving Certificate.  It is clear that inquiry based teaching and learning, as evidenced by the increased participation by the Project Maths group and improvements in the Junior Certificate, will positively impact students attitudes to maths and science subjects. However, Discover Science and Engineering believes this approach to learning has to start with children in primary school. Therefore, it has developed with the support of 4,500 primary school participant teachers over 50 ‘hands-on’ curriculum based maths and science activities which are available at www.primaryscience.ie”

Students from participating schools were asked to record the emerging signs of spring by examining ash, horse chestnut and hawthorn trees, the primrose flower, the swallow and frogspawn. Participants were also asked to record rainfall, temperature and wind speed throughout the months of February to May.

In total, 981 records and sightings were submitted by participating schools across the country. Some of the findings by participating schools included:

• the first swallow was spotted on 12 March
• the highest average weekly rainfall was between 22 and 29 March, with an average of 32.75mm recorded
• the warmest average weekly temperature, 11.50 degrees Celsius, was recorded between 12 and 19 May
• the highest average weekly wind speed, 58.63 knots, was recorded between 15 and 22 March

Commenting on the results, Éanna Ní Lamhna said, “This year’s recordings were very interesting given the cold weather we experienced over the winter and on into spring. The first sightings of frogs and primroses came much later than in previous years with the first frog spawning recorded at the end of March.”

Gerald Fleming, RTÉ weather broadcaster, said: “This was a very surprising spring, being particularly cold and dry with bright spells. Very little rainfall was recorded as a consequence but we did see snow and sleet which was very unusual. The weather conditions we experienced were as a result of high pressure over Iceland which sent northerly winds over Ireland causing the conditions we experienced. This change in weather patterns had a noticeable effect on spring which was recorded by the Greenwave project.”

Peter Brabazon, Programme Director of Discover Science & Engineering, added: “The ongoing success of the Greenwave project is evident in not only the level of participation from schools around the country but also the information recorded. The unique spring we experienced this year was reflected in the sightings and records we received. The work undertaken by the school children and teachers across the country as part of the Greenwave project will allow for valuable comparison with previous and future years.”

The green wave begins in the south of Europe in February and moves up across Europe as temperatures rise. The phenomenon travels at approximately the same speed as humans walk – four miles per hour – hence the description of a green wave.

According to this, spring would take three weeks to walk across Ireland from Mizen Head to Malin head. To view the results of the project, visit www.greenwave.ie. Pictures submitted by students are also available in the gallery section.

Commenting at the meeting, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said, “It is great to see the enthusiasm of the Dublin City of Science 2012 ambassadors, they give a good indication of the high calibre of young Irish people in terms of developing Ireland into a Smart Economy. Dublin City of Science 2012 is a fantastic opportunity to showcase European innovation and illustrate that Ireland is at the heart of Europe in the field of scientific research.  6,000 of the world’s brightest minds will come together in Dublin to present cutting-edge work. This is a good opportunity for young people in Ireland to get a glimpse of what is happening in universities and companies both in their local community and across Europe and the world.”

Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, meets Dublin City of Science 2012 Ambassadors

Organised by Discover Science & Engineering in partnership with Failte Ireland, Dublin City council and the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, the Science Communications Bus departed from Dublin on Sunday 20th of June and has since made its way from Dublin through Liverpool, Dover and Calais, arriving in Brussels on Tuesday evening.

The ambassadors are promoting Dublin as the 2012 City of Science in each city that they visit and are reporting on their experiences using social media tools such as Twitter, blogging and YouTube via the Dublin City of Science 2012 website www.dublinscience2012.ie.

After Brussels the bus will stop in Amsterdam before arriving in Turin for a five day visit to coincide with the highpoint of the city’s science celebrations taking place from the 2nd – 7th July. The trip was launched last week by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Emer Costello and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD at Dublin’s Mansion House.

Dublin City of Science will consist of a year-long programme of science events, with approximately 6,000 international delegates expected at the Euroscience Conference in Dublin in July 2012.

According to Fáilte Ireland’s 2009 research, the value of an average international delegate is nearly three times that of a leisure visitor and therefore this conference which is expected to be worth over €9 million in terms of tourism alone to the national economy, will bring together leading scientists and public policy officials to address global issues including energy, climate change, food and health.

Fáilte Ireland reports that on average each delegate will spend nearly three extra days in Ireland and 28% of them will be accompanied by a partner or friend.

The six Irish Science ambassadors at the launch of the Science Communications Bus at the Mansion House Dublin

The countdown to the Dublin City of Science 2012 has officially begun with the unveiling of six young Irish science ambassadors who will travel across Europe this summer on a specially commissioned Science Communications Bus.

The Bus will visit a number of European cities to promote Dublin City of Science 2012. This will include a five day visit to Turin, the 2010 European City of Science, to co-incide with the highpoint of the city’s science celebrations which take place from 2nd – 7th July.

The trip was launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Emer Costello and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation Batt O’Keeffe TD today at Dublin’s Mansion House.  Organised by Discover Science & Engineering in partnership with Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council and the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government, the Science Communications Bus will leave Dublin on 20th July and visit Liverpool, Brussels and Amsterdam before arriving in Turin to join the City of Science 2010 celebrations.

On leaving Turin it will visit Toulouse and Barcelona before arriving back in Dublin on 14th July.  The science ambassadors will visit a number of centres of scientific interest in each city.

They will report on their experiences using social media tools such as Twitter, blogging and YouTube particularly highlighting the quality and excellence of Irish scientists and engineers working in Europe via the Dublin City of Science 2012 website www.dublinscience2012.ie. They will also promote Dublin as the 2012 City of Science in each city that they visit.

The Bus will be a fully equipped mobile media unit with a satellite broadband connection and laptops to enable the students to upload blogs, pictures, video, and interviews.

Additionally, when stationary a branded awning will extend from the side of the Bus to shelter a fenced off exhibition area with tables, chairs and a wide-screen TV for the playing of promotional DVDs which will promote Ireland as a destination and Dublin as the 2012 City of Science.

Dublin City of Science will consist of a year-long programme of science events, with approximately 6,000 international delegates expected the Euroscience Conference in Dublin in July 2012.

According to Fáilte Ireland’s 2009 research, the value of an average international delegate is nearly three times that of a leisure visitor and therefore this conference which is expected to be worth over €9 million in terms of tourism alone to the national economy, will bring together leading scientists and public policy officials to address global issues including energy, climate change, food and health.

It will also serve to showcase Dublin’s long heritage in science, technology, engineering and maths and highlight the capital as an international conference destination.  Fáilte Ireland reports that on average each delegate will spend nearly three extra days in Ireland and 28% of them will be accompanied by a partner or friend.

Commenting on the initiative, Batt O’Keeffe T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation said, “Dublin European City of Science 2012 will showcase Ireland’s strong focus on science and the ’Smart‘ economy as the Government seeks to transform our nation into a global innovation hub.

In implementing the recommendations of the Innovation Taskforce, the Government’s overwhelming focus is on driving innovation by supporting ideas, technology and processes that have commercial potential and can ultimately create jobs.

The well-equipped high-tech Science Communications Bus will capture the strong innovation ethos in our higher education institutions and showcase it to industry leaders and other experts in some of Europe’s top cities.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, T.D., Batt O'Keeffe and Caitriona Geraghty enjoying the state of the art Science Communications Bus

The Dublin European City of Science 2012 project will encourage our young people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as set a new context for indigenous firms to embrace innovation and for multinationals to locate or expand their operations here”.

Cllr Emer Costello, Lord Mayor of Dublin, added, “Dublin has a long heritage in science, technology, engineering and maths, which we are often quick to forget.  William Hamilton’s discovery of quaternions in mathematics are indispensible for computer graphics and today a physics engine developed by Havok, a world renowned Irish computer software company spun out of Trinity College Dublin, is used in some of the world’s biggest selling video games.  This is but one of the many examples of innovation across Ireland and Dublin City of Science 2012 will underline our position at the heart of cutting-edge research.”

The science ambassadors come from a range of backgrounds including teaching, science communications and include a number of third level students:

Michelle Dunne
Michelle (34) is a secondary school science and chemistry teacher in St. Joseph’s College, Presentation Convent, Lucan, Co. Dublin.  She is well travelled, incorporating her experiences into her science lessons in order to inspire her students. Michelle recently mentored groups of students at SciFest 2010 at Blanchardstown Institute of Technology, where they collected eight awards. Her students in St. Josephs also achieved success in the 2010 BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition where they won a Highly Commended and Best Display award.

Martin McKenna
Martin McKenna (23) is a Biochemistry student in Trinity College Dublin and hopes to pursue a career in Science Communications once he completes his studies. In addition to pursuing his Biochemistry degree, Martin has combined his studies with his other passion, journalism.  He earned a professional qualification in photography from Kulturama College, Stockholm, Sweden and also spent a year as editor of Trinity News.  In a personal capacity, he also runs www.lunchblock.ie

Dara Boland
Dara (22) has just completed a BSc in Marketing, Innovation and Technology at Dublin City University.  He has a passion for all things ‘hi-tech’ and travelling, so the project represented the perfect opportunity for him.  A natural communicator, he has performed on stage in the O2, the Odyssey arena and the Helix theatre. He hopes to combine this with his new media skills to help promote Dublin as the City of Science 2012.

Caitriona Geraghty
Caitriona (27) currently works for Engineers Ireland as a “STEPS to engineering Executive”. STEPS to engineering aims to encourage primary and post primary students to explore the world of science and engineering.  Her knowledge and experience will allow her to communicate Ireland and its various science initiatives in a very positive light to the science enthusiasts in the various European cities.

Ellen Byrne
Ellen (25) got hooked on all things science, engineering and mathematical after witnessing an onion cell explode under a microscope in a primary school in Co Wicklow.  The event ignited her enthusiasm and passion for exploring and learning and has fuelled her career to date as a science communicator.  Ellen believes that the exponential growth and adoption of social media, blogging and internet TV has led to a practical but very exciting method for engaging several key science audiences.

Ronan Lyne
Ronan (24) is a Neuroscience student in Trinity College Dublin and also works part-time in the Science Gallery.  He is a regular contributor to the science section of the Trinity News and also presented a series of promotional shorts for RTE for the BT Young Scientist Exhibition 2010. After he completes his Neuroscience degree, Ronan would like to move into research or medicine.

The Fibonacci project is an inquiry based science and mathematics education programme, which aims to help develop an integrated strategy for scientific literacy and awareness for primary schools across Europe.

In Ireland, the project will initially involve twelve primary schools as part of a pilot scheme with twenty-four teachers developing expertise in using hands-on inquiry-based approaches to science with children.

The pilot scheme will then gradually expand out to other primary schools. The Fibonacci project as a whole, will involve 24 countries in Europe developing their own projects for promoting inquiry-based science/maths education (IBSE) in local schools, whilst also sharing expertise with groups in other countries.

Dr. Clíona Murphy and Dr. Janet Varley from the Centre for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Teaching and Learning (CASTeL) at St. Patrick’s College will coordinate the project.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Clíona Murphy, lecturer in Science Education in St. Patrick’s College, said, “This is a wonderful initiative to be involved with as it will help to promote hands-on learning in primary science across the country. By developing primary teachers’ expertise in investigative approaches to science, we will be investing in school science for the long-term. It is vital to capture children’s enthusiasm for science early on as research has shown that many young people have made their decisions about careers in science before the age of 13. If we want to see more innovations in science and technology emerging from Ireland in the next generation, this is the kind of project that could pave the way”.

As part of the project, Discover Science and Engineering’s Greenwave programme, a nationwide investigation which involves primary children tracking the progress of Spring across the country, has been adopted as an example of best practice and will be rolled out across Europe in schools participating in the Fibonacci project.

Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science and Engineering, added, ”We are delighted to be involved with this project and it is particularly pleasing that our Greenwave programme has been highlighted as an example of best practice in science teaching and learning. It is inspiring to think that an Irish educational initiative will be helping to instil a sense of wonder and interest in science for young people in Ireland, and also across Europe. A key element of this project is community and industry involvement in supporting teachers in the classroom. This is a vital link in highlighting science related career opportunities available to young people and the practical application of science in our knowledge economy”.

The awards programme which is organised by Discover Science & Engineering, acknowledges the efforts of primary school children and teachers who have demonstrated an increased knowledge and application of science and maths.

The awards are part of the Discover Primary Science programme, which is a flagship project run by DSE to facilitate teacher training in general primary sciences and promote science and maths among primary school students. Now in its sixth year, the programme has in excess of 3,000 participating schools, with over 3,700 teachers registered on the programme.

Brendan Lucas of St. Laurence O’Tooles CBS Dublin, pictured at Discover Science and Engineering’s 2010 Awards of Science and Maths Excellence.

Commenting on the Awards of Science and Maths Excellence, Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science & Engineering, stated, “On behalf of Discover Science & Engineering, I would like to congratulate all those students and teachers who took part in the Awards of Science and Maths Excellence on their tremendous work. The Discover Primary Science programme has continued its work in fostering an interest in the sciences among students and helping them to acquire skills that will stand to them as they continue their education. A key element of this was the incorporation of maths into this year’s programme, which reflects our efforts to assist in raising Irish students’ performance in the subject.”

In applying for an Award of Science and Maths Excellence, schools were required to keep a Discovery Log recording science related work carried out throughout the year. Credits were awarded for completing a certain number of activities from the DPS classroom activity pack as well as visiting one of the DPS accredited Discover Science Centres.

In line with the introduction of maths in this year’s programme, participating schools were asked to give three examples of how they integrate the subject into their science work.

Additional credits were awarded for taking part in a number of other DSE programmes including the Greenwave project (www.greenwave.ie), a mass science experiment tracking the arrival of spring across Ireland, as well as contributing to Science Week, DSE’s annual national week long promotion of science and engineering.

Please visit www.primaryscience.ie for further information on the Awards of Science and Maths Excellence and the Discover Primary Science programme.

Pictured are Colm O'Connor, principal of Piper's Hill VEC. Peter Brabazon, Programme Director of Dicover Science and Engineering (DSE), Sean Ashe, CEO of Kildare VEC, and Stephen Hartnett, Education Support Office for VEC, at the Discover Sensors event in Piper's Hill College, Naas, Co. Kildare.

The event took place in Pipers Hill College, Naas, Co.Kildare as part of a new partnership between Discover Science & Engineering (DSE) and Co. Kildare VEC which will see with both organisations working together to spearhead the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects in the development of the smart economy.

Follow-on sessions are taking place in the individual schools during April and May.

The project was designed to introduce new inquiry based learning techniques and the integration of technology to the teaching and learning of science into Kildare schools.

The project will ultimately enable the participating teachers to incorporate the use of sensor technology in hands-on scientific investigations to make the subject more exciting and easier to understand for Junior Science students.

A Discover Science and Engineering initiative, the Discover Sensors project investigates the use of sensors as an integral part of the Junior Cycle Science curriculum and develops a series of online resources for teachers and students.

Discover Sensors is akin to the well known TV programme ‘CSI’ in that it is designed to provide students with an experience of ‘real science’ in the classroom, supporting the investigative approach with real hands-on experiments.

The participating schools include Piper’s Hill College, Naas; St. Conleth’s Vocational School, Newbridge; Maynooth Post Primary School, Maynooth; Athy Community College, Athy; Ardscoil Rath Iomghain, Rathangan; Curragh Post-Primary School, Curragh; Kildare Vocational School & College of Further Studies, Kildare town; St. Farnan’s Post-Primary School, Prosperous; Confey Community College, Confey; and Colaiste Lorcain Post-Primary School, Castledermot.

Commenting on the partnership, Peter Brabazon, Programme Director of Discover Science & Engineering said, “We are delighted to pilot this new phase of the Discover Sensors project with Kildare VEC, whose students will benefit from the latest scientific teaching methods.  We fundamentally believe that if you want to get more students interested in careers in science, then you have to bring the subject to life and make it relevant.  The Discover Sensors project helps to achieve this by giving real world examples of how science relates to young people’s everyday lives and incorporating the use of sensor technology to get students excited about classroom and laboratory work.”

“This need is never greater and the government’s blueprint for economic recovery, the Smart Economy document, outlines the key actions which the government must take in order to rebuild our economy. Central to this strategy is the promotion of innovative teaching approaches that engage students actively in their own learning and prepare them for the 21st century. Discover Sensors promotes such an innovative student-centred approach to science teaching,” Brabazon added.

Commenting about Kildare VEC’s involvement, Sean Ashe, Chief Executive Officer of County Kildare VEC, said, “We very much welcome the initiative of Discover Science and Engineering in piloting the next phase of Discover Sensors in conjunction with Kildare VEC.  The VEC has always supported and promoted the teaching of the Physical Sciences in our schools.  This CPD programme with emphasis on the investigative process will be of great benefit to both students and teachers involved.”

“Through this partnership there will be ongoing advice and support for our Science Teaching both through training sessions and online support. It will develop further inter school and team collaboration with benefits for all involved.   Teaching and Learning the key functions of our schools will be further enhanced by this training and partnership model,” Ashe concluded.

Participating teachers will now trial some of the course content with their classes and to post feedback to the teacher forum on the Discover Sensors website.

Students will also be to use their new knowledge to participate in the SciFest competition,  where a Discover Sensors Award is presented at each regional event.

The Discover Sensors award is presented to a student science project which demonstrates a high level of application of investigative science methodologies that include the innovative use of one or more sensors for the collection, recording and analysis of data.

The Discover Sensors project began with a pilot involving 90 teachers from 45 schools throughout Ireland in 2006/7.

Based on feedback and evaluation and benchmarking against international best practice, it has expanded and evolved to its current state.

To-date, Discover Sensors has worked with almost 500 Junior Certificate science teachers.

The first event of the nationwide competition took place today in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Kevin Street.

SciFest is a national festival of science organised regionally in collaboration with the Institutes of Technology and is open to all second level students.

Pictured at the first event of the Scifest national science competition in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Kevin Street is (l-r) Griffin Gillanders (13) Alison Rudden (12)and Rachel Claffey (13), 1st year students from Alexandra College, Milltown, Co.Dublin with their Scifest project ‘The Studies of Gloop’

SciFest was created to provide an additional forum for students to present and display the results of their scientific investigations, following the success of the BT Young Scientist and Technology exhibition which has been running very successfully for over forty years.

The SciFest initiative is jointly funded by Intel and Discover Science and Engineering as project partners.

SciFest has the additional advantage that it is locally based which makes it more accessible to students and allows them to view the facilities and courses available in their local Institute of Technology. Following DIT the SciFest 2010 fairs in the other Institutes of Technology will be held on the following dates: Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (20 April), Waterford Institute of Technology (20 April), Athlone Institute of Technology (23 April), Cork Institute of Technology (27 April), Limerick Institute of Technology (27 April), IT Carlow (5 May), Dundalk Institute of Technology (5 May), IT Sligo (6 May), Institute of Technology, Tallaght (7 May), TI (11 May), Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (12 May), IT Tralee (12 May), Letterkenny Institute of Technology (14 May), and the Millennium Forum, Derry (21 May).

Some of the projects on display today at DIT Kevin Street include:

• A study on whether gaming affects your personality by students from Loreto College, St Stephens Green;
• A project examining whether texting makes students’ spelling worse by students from Gael Choláiste Reachrann;
• Students from Alexandra College investigate if weather affects a person’s mood;
• A project examining whether wind energy can charge a phone battery, by students from St. Joseph’s Secondary School;
• An investigation by students from Ard Scoil Rís into how to improve the safety and comfort standards of the present day Micro Hurling Helmet.

Commenting at the event, Sheila Porter, SciFest National Coordinator, said, “SciFest continues to go from strength to strength with a record number of entries this year. The rapid increase in participation in the competition is a clear indication of the interest and enthusiasm among students and teachers in the investigative approach to teaching and learning science. I would like to thank all of our partners including Intel, Discover Science and Engineering, BT, Dairymaster, Abbott Ireland and all the Institutes of Technology. Without their support, none of this would be possible.”

Also commenting at the event, Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science and Engineering, said, “It is exciting to see the creativity and enthusiasm for science among Irish second-level students at SciFest 2010. The competition epitomises the skills we seek to instil in students across the country in terms of collaborative learning and critical thinking. It is also an effective model linking education and industry, with the participation of all the Institutes of Technology and the support of Intel and other sponsors.”

As part of each SciFest ceremony taking place in the Institutes of Technology there will also be an additional Discover Sensors award.

This is given to a student science project which demonstrates a high level of application of investigative science methodologies that include the innovative use of one or more digital sensors for recording of experimental data. Each project entering the Discover Sensors Award must keep a blog of their SciFest project on Project Blogger

The inaugural SciFest was held in the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin, in 2006 and SciFest was launched nationwide in September 2007.

Nine of the Institutes of Technology hosted SciFest fairs in 2008 and in 2009 all fourteen institutes hosted a SciFest fair, reflecting the commitment of the Institutes of Technology to the support and promotion of science education.

Also in 2009 the first SciFest exhibition in Northern Ireland was held in the Millennium Forum in Derry. In total 1,980 students from 162 schools exhibited 836 projects nationwide in SciFest 2009. This represented an increase of almost 25% in the number of students participating compared with the previous year.

Please visit www.scifest.ie for further information.

Greenwave, a mass science experiment encourages students to get involved in tracking the movement of spring across Ireland.

Under the programme, students are asked to log their sightings of the six species that are indicators of spring on the Greenwave website.

An increased focus on maths will be incorporated into the project this year, as students will be asked to measure the wind speed at their school.

Students will learn how to build an anemometer, a device to measure how fast the wind is blowing, and will be asked to record speeds during the course of the project. This subtle investigative approach will help participating students relate maths to their everyday lives.

Launched in 2007, the programme has proved very successful with over 800 official sightings of spring and 500 observations submitted from around the country in 2009.

Commenting on the launch, Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science and Engineering, said, “Greenwave has always proved highly popular with students because of the increased interest in the environment and climate change. All of our educational initiatives are geared to make science and maths exciting for students by bringing the textbook to life and incorporating concepts into experiments that relate to their everyday lives.  This year we have put an added emphasis on maths as part of our strategic remit to help improve skills in young people as we lay the foundations for an innovation economy for the future.”

The Greenwave project is based on the fact that during springtime, buds on trees and hedges begin to open up. This creates a green wave which can be viewed from outer space.

This green wave begins in the south of Europe in February and as the temperature rises, it moves up across Europe travelling at approximately 4 miles per hour; similar to the speed at which a human walks. According to this, it would take three weeks to walk across Ireland from Mizen head to Malin head.

Between the months of February and March, students are asked to log their sightings of species including ash, horse chestnut, hawthorn trees, the primrose, the swallow and frogspawn.

Students are also asked to record wind speed, rainfall and temperature. The results are mapped onto the Greenwave website to see whether spring moves from north to south or inland from coast to centre.

The information obtained from participating students’ logging of sightings will be valuable in determining whether or not climate change is causing flowers to bloom earlier and, as a result, how Irish wildlife is affected.

The data will be plotted on the Greenwave website www.greenwave.ie, where visitors will be able to view the findings and track nature’s progress over time.

Students who participate in the experiment will be in with a chance to win some great prizes by submitting photos of their sightings on www.greenwave.ie. The photos will be judged by Eanna Ni Lahmna and Gerald Flemming and the winning school will receive a digital camera and printer.

Schools wishing to take part in this year’s Greenwave experiment can register online at www.greenwave.ie. The project also caters for Gaelscoileanna, with materials available in Irish on the website.  All schools taking part in the Greenwave project will earn credit towards the Discover Primary Science Awards of Science & Maths Excellence

Part of the Discover Primary Science (DPS) programme, the awards acknowledge the efforts of primary school children and teachers across Ireland who have shown an increased knowledge of science and maths.

Last year, 512 primary schools won an award and it is hoped that this figure will increase in 2010.

Launched in 2004, the DPS programme has gone from strength to strength with over 90% of all primary schools across the country registered to participate today.  The success of Discover Primary Science was also recognised as part of international review last year.

This year, an additional focus on maths will be incorporated into the programme in recognition of the importance of mathematics in teaching science.

Speaking at the launch, Conor Lenihan T.D., Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, said “Discover Primary Science is a key educational initiative in our goal to build a Smart Economy as the hands on approach of the programme ignites a passion for science and maths in the pupils who participate in it.  The level of participation in Discover Primary Science is a testament to the fantastic science and maths education taking place across the country.  It is very important that we build a foundation of young people who have a keen interest in science and mathematics as they will be the scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians of the future.”

Peter Brabazon, Programme Director, Discover Science & Engineering, added, “We are aiming to help Ireland become one of the top performers across Europe in maths. As a result we have put a strategic focus on incorporating maths into all our activities during the year in a bid to help young people improve their problem solving activities.  There are lots of activities like building periscopes and paper helicopters which introduce mathematics concepts such as algebra and angles to primary school children to show them that learning maths can be fun.”

Schools registered under the DPS programme applying for an Award of Science & Maths Excellence must keep a Discover Log, recording their science related work which must be submitted by 23rd April 2010.

Credit is given for providing evidence of involvement in:

• One activity relating to each of the four strand units in the Science Curriculum, 4 activities in total;
• Visiting one of the Discover Primary Science accredited Discover Science Centres or inviting speakers to school to talk about science related topics;
• Holding a science display day or event;
• Giving three examples of how the participating school integrated maths into their science classroom activity.

The assessment of the Awards of Science & Maths Excellence process begins following the closing date for submissions on 23rd April 2010.

Registered schools, who have submitted their intention to apply on the website by the 26th March, will receive an application form in the mail, close to the submission date.

Please visit www.primaryscience.ie for further information on the Awards of Science & Maths Excellence and the Discover Primary Science programme.