We are very proud of Zack O’Leary (Grammar) who was crowned SciFest National Champion at the weekend.
Zack won with his project ‘M.A.N.T.I.S’ which stands for Muon Analysis for Non-Invasive Tomography and Image Simulation. Mantis uses geological and hydrological databases with atmospheric measurements to detect underground features remotely.
On his inspiration for the project Zack said: “I was reading about how Egypt spent millions to try to find a chamber in one of the pyramids of Giza. They had to have a lot of scientists on site and close to tourists so there was a lot of disruption. I wondered if there was a way of doing it remotely – capturing subsurface imaging without having to be physically on site.”
Through his Mantis project, Zack has proven there is. After testing it, initially against conventional on-site surveys for mines in the US and Angola, the software showed a consistent accuracy rate of 97 per cent.
Zack will represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, Arizona next May.
The SciFest National Finals was attended by students from all over Ireland. There were 51 students from 31 schools who had qualified at regional level.
CEO and Founder of SciFest, Sheila Porter said at the event: “On behalf of everyone here at SciFest, I would like to extend a warm congratulations to all the participants, and in particular to Zack O’Leary for winning the title of SciFest STEM Champion 2025. We saw a significant increase in technology projects this year focusing on artificial intelligence and medical devices – it is great to see students take a strong interest in solving real world problems.”
Our own Ms Nolan was also a winner on the day winning STEM Teacher of Excellence 2025 – a second win in the category for Ms Nolan. This is the second National Championship win for a Clongowes student- Jack Shannon OC 24 took the top prize in 2023.
Well done Zack and Ms Nolan!
