Student videos about science can zoom in on NUIG €3,000 prize

Students have an opportunity to try their hand at video production, delivering films as part of a science communication competition. There is a prize fund of €3,000 and winning entries will be put up on YouTube.

Run by NUI Galway, the scheme is open to primary and secondary students, who are asked to produce "entertaining and educational" short videos about science under the university's ReelLife Science programme.

In a second student competition launched yesterday, primary pupils are being invited to develop their own companies under the Junior Entrepreneur Programme.

Science heroes

Students can enter videos on subjects such as the power of science, science heroes and physics in real life, said Dr Enda O’Connell who conceived of and piloted the video programme last year. Participants can use video cameras, tablets or even smartphones to produce their videos, he said.

It is real “hands-on” science used to investigate the world around them, Dr O’Connell said. The winning entry from the 2013 pilot year can be seen at youtu.be/JbyZ9z3CS3o and students have until October 17th to enter their submissions.

More information about the scheme, funded by Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover programme, is available at reellifescience.com

Junior entrepreneur

The Junior Entrepreneur Programme hopes to attract 10,000 young business people aged between seven and 11. It is open to students from the North and South and its first year in 2013 involved 5,000 pupils.

"There is no cost to the schools and the benefits are enormous," said Jerry Kennelly, co-founder of the not-for-profit programme which was developed with academic partner Mary Immaculate College, Limerick.

The 10-week programme is aligned with the primary school curriculum and is a mix of teaching and projects. Entries last year included a service selling “lucky bags”, sale and distribution of eggs collected from rare hens, a chocolate company and another selling spices.

Applications for the programme close on September 12th. Details are available at juniorentrepreneur.ie