A European contest for secondary school students to explore our amazing star, the Sun! _____________________________________________________________________________________

Our colleagues at the European Solar Telescope (EST) are running an amazing contest for secondary school students aged 14-16 which is ideal for Transitions Year students in Ireland. The aim is to design an infographic (images, charts, and minimal text to give an easy-to-understand overview of a topic) about the Sun. There are lots of topics to choose from so you can dive into the part you find the most interesting!

Students participate in groups of 3 or 4 with a teacher leading them. The deadline to apply is 12th November (extended from 30th October) 2021 and you can find out more details here.

Did we mention the amazing prizes?!

  • Two winning teams get a trip to the Teide Observatory in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)
  • A third prize is a solar telescope kit for your school.

Our AstroLands Project Manager, Dr Sophie Murray, and I-LOFAR Education and Public Engagement Manager, Áine Flood, are the Irish Contacts for this, so get in touch with any questions by email education@lofar.ie.

We are also delighted to be running information sessions for students throughout Ireland who are interested in participating in this contest! We will chatting with and asking questions to some of the amazing Solar Physicists on the I-LOFAR Team. These sessions are a chance for all the students to hear more about the Sun, what it’s like studying it, and some of our star’s really interesting qualities.

  • The first session (run online via Zoom) is scheduled for Thursday 14th October from 14:00 to 15:00.
  • We have a second session scheduled (also online via Zoom) on Tuesday 2nd November from 09:30 to 10:30.
  • We have a third and FINAL session scheduled (also online via Zoom) on Thursday 9th December from 13:00 to 14:00.

Teachers can register to get a link to join by emailing education@lofar.ie. Get in touch with any queries.