Primary Science Fair: The youngest of Ireland's most promising science students are taking the limelight in the Primary Science Fair at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition in the RDS.
Exploding volcanoes, remote-controlled "bugs", Lego robots and flying ping-pong balls feature in some of the more hands-on exhibits.
An eye-catching transparent computer case showing the machine's innards displays the technical achievement of sixth-class students at Kill-o'-the-Grange National School in Deansgrange, Co Dublin. The entire class worked together to build a PC, explained Rachel Lee (12). "Everyone got a chance to do their bit, unscrewing things or adding parts in."
The students agree that their project has changed the way they look at computers. "We used to think they would be so hard to make, but now we see it's easy," said Yvonne Nyinga (11).
Many of the students attending the fair, which is sponsored by the National Children's Office, used computers to search the internet, which provided plenty of interesting information about hurricanes and tornadoes for fifth-class students at Scoil Naomh Bríd in Celbridge, Co Kildare.
Hannah O'Grady (11), Kaitlin Saunders (11), Anja Hogan (11) and Laura George (11) put together a presentation about weather systems and projected it on to a wall for maximum effect. "We wanted to find out more about why storms take a definite path," said Laura.
Their research turned up some surprising facts. "We found out that in 1931 a hurricane in the US lifted a train into the air and dropped it into a ditch," said Anja.
Weather was also a hot topic for nine sixth-class students from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Galway, who looked at the effects of contrails - streaks visible in the sky behind a passing jet. "Contrails are made of ice crystals that form below minus 40 degrees Celsius," explained Derbhile McDermott (11). They had found out that contrails can block the sun and contribute to bad weather, said Shauna Hannon (11).
Other students shifted their gaze groundwards and tested the strength of the humble snail. "Most people think snails are pests, but we wanted to find out what they are really about," said Niamh Hughes (11), from Ballycushion National School in Co Mayo.
With schoolmates Niamh Coyne (11), Keith Kyne (12) and Conor Moran (12), she put snails through their paces by way of a series of strength and agility tests. "We found they could pull loads of 240 grammes on a trailer," said Keith.
