Sheila Porter is the founder and CEO of SciFest, an innovative, all-inclusive programme of STEM fairs which take place at local, regional and national levels. As a science teacher Sheila recognised the importance of STEM fair participation in encouraging in all students a love of the STEM subjects and in generating a spirit of inquiry, innovation and entrepreneurship. Her vision was of a national STEM fair programme that would be inclusive, accessible, free to enter and open to all second-level students. She launched the SciFest programme in the Institute of Technology Tallaght, now TU Dublin, in 2006 and took it nationwide in 2008. From the one fair in IT Tallaght the SciFest programme has expanded to 165 fairs and more than 15,000 students participating in 2024. Since 2006 over 115,000 students have participated in one or more levels of the programme, approximately 60% of whom are female. Each year the overall winners at the SciFest National Final go on to represent Ireland in international competitions with great success. For her work in promoting STEM in second-level schools Sheila has been awarded an Intel Ireland Educator of Excellence Award on three separate occasions, a British Council Science Travel Award, the ISTA PharmaChemical Ireland Science Educator of the Year Award and, in 2023, the Women in STEM Mentor of the Year Award.
