Athlone students win top climate prize at SciFest regional finals
Two students from Marist College in Athlone have taken home the prestigious EirGrid Cleaner Climate Award following their success at the SciFest@College 2025 regional competition at TUS Athlone.
Students from schools across the region came together with over 350 other second-level students and their teachers to compete in the STEM fair exhibiting projects covering a broad range of topics and disciplines from sports science and AI to renewable energy and physics.
Third year students, Muhammad Ibrahim Tariq and Hammad Mateen impressed judges with their project entitled ‘The Algae Revolution’, investigating how algae can be used to help reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality, have algae can be used as a more efficient biofuel, and can be used to make paper.
Their winning submission was chosen from over 170 projects on show at the college campus event.
SciFest@College is a programme of STEM fairs for second-level students, taking place in 16 regional colleges across Ireland. For two decades SciFest has been a platform for second-level students to showcase their creativity, innovation and research skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
As a partner in SciFest, EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland electricity system, delivers the Cleaner Climate Award as recognition of the critical role young people play in shaping a sustainable future.
The prize is awarded to the student or team whose project demonstrates both technical excellence and a tangible positive impact to energy and environmental sustainability.
Congratulating the winning entrants on their successful project, Catherine Daly, Sustainability Programme Manager at EirGrid, said: “For twenty years SciFest has been at the heart of inspiring innovation from secondary level students, and we are incredibly proud to continue to support this endeavour. As we work to ensure eighty percent of Ireland’s electricity comes from renewable sources, as per Government targets, we recognise the importance of fostering a future generation of problem solvers and critical thinkers, to transition to a clean, renewable energy grid.
“EirGrid is playing a central role in achieving Ireland’s climate ambitions and the level of engagement from students at TUS Athlone showed the huge interest there is surrounding the environment and renewable energy. Congratulations to Muhammad and Hammand on their award.”
Muhammad and Hammand will now progress to the SciFest National Final in November, for a chance to represent Ireland at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.