Ardnagrath seals place in national science final

Ardnagrath NS will represent the midlands at the national final of the Ericsson Primary Science competition having seen off stiff competition to seal first place in the senior category at the midland regional final on Monday last. The Ericsson Primary Science competition is a fun science event that encourages primary students to explore science through class projects and presentations. The competition attracted a range of projects representing almost 6,000 students nationally this year and the regional final for the Midlands was held on Monday in Athlone Institute of Technology. And there certainly was no shortage of excitement as student teams presented their projects, ranging from as projects from alternative energy to magnetism to counting calories. The results in the Senior Category were: 1st: Ardnagrath NS, Walderstown; 2nd: Cornamaddy NS and 3rd: Gaelscoil an Eiscir Riada, Tullamore. The winners in the Middle Category were: 1st: St Kieran's National School, Broughal, Kilcormac; 2nd: Gaelscoil na Ide, Roscommon and 3rd: Aughnagarron NS, Longford. A series of five regional finals will be held across Ireland in the coming week and winners in each regional final will go forward to the national final which also takes place in Athlone on March 15. Winners in each category in the National Final will receive a €2,000 voucher for computers and science equipment for their school and will have the opportunity to visit the Ericsson Software Campus in Athlone. Ericsson, the world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment, is sponsoring this competition in an effort to provide primary school students with an insight into the excitement of science and maths in today's world. Michael Gallagher, Managing Director of Ericsson in Ireland commented: "We consider that working with young people at Primary School level is really important for the future of technology based industry in Ireland. The Knowledge Economy starts here, and this is where the seeds of future choices are sown." The competition is co-ordinated by development agency Atlantic Corridor which has developed a strong and innovative range of programmes in science and technology promotion in recent years. Jackie Gorman, CEO of Atlantic Corridor commented: "Our first regional final for the science competition took place today in Athlone and it was very much a case of hands on, minds open. It was wonderful to see such great projects presented with such confidence. This is a vital and early intervention in the promotion of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects." Further details on the Science Competition, the Atlantic Conference 2012 can be found on www.atlanticcorridor.ie. You can also find Atlantic Corridor on Facebook and follow it on Twitter @ atlanticcorrid or contact 057 93 23902 for further details.