THIS weekend a group of students from Coláiste Chiaráin will participate in the annual final of the CEIA CanSat competition at Birr Castle in County Offaly.
The competition, which takes place this Saturday, April 18, requires students to design and test a satellite that fits within the dimensions of a standard drink can.
The students qualified for the final following a regional competition hosted by the Limerick Institute of Technology. They designed and 3D printed their satellite, equipped it with a range of sensors. This satellite will be launched by rocket. The students will analyse the data as the satellite falls to ground aided by a parachute. The students will present their data and the details of their project to a panel of judges from education and industry.
The winner of the national competition will go on to compete in the European final in Portugal in June 2015. The team is comprised of Conor Foy, Aaron Mullane, Eoin Hayes, William Fenlon and Sterling Nelson, mentored by their teacher, Conor Power.
Conor Foy says, “This competition requires a broad range of skills – design, programming and business. It is great to be able to apply what you learn in school to a real world project like this.”
