LIMERICK student Conor Foy scooped an Excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) award at this year’s SciFest@SFI Discover competition in Dublin’s Trinity College.
Seventeen-year-old Conor secured his place at the national final when he won top prize at the regional SciFest@College event in LIT in May for his device that improves timing among crew in a rowing boat.
The Coláiste Chiaráin student developed a system that can measure, display, transmit and record the timing difference between, and the force exerted by, a crew of rowers.
Conor’s system is unique in that it looks at the timing of the oar and the force of each individual stroke, and not just the movement of the seat. This system is expected to improve the performance of rowing crews as it allows a greater synchronicity amongst the rowers.
The fifth year student from Crecora was mentored for the project by Edel Farrell, his teacher at the Croom secondary school.
“We are delighted with Conor’s achievement. He put a huge amount of work into the project over the last year,” said Edel.
Conor’s award-winning project was showcased at the Science Gallery in Trinity College as part of the SciFest@SFI Discover competition.
SciFest CEO Sheila Porter said the competition “encourages students to push the boundaries of the classroom, use their knowledge of science, investigate and be creative in their projects”.
The Limerick student was also awarded the Yale medallion for most outstanding project at the competition.
