SciFest 2023 Award Winner

Posted on : May 9, 2023

Well done to Sophie Swann who has won the Royal Society of Chemistry Award at this year’s SciFest. She won the award for her project in which she did a study of microorganisms present on natural and artificial sports/playing surfaces. Sophie is a hockey player and this study was particularly interesting to her as she has played on a variety of different playing surfaces over the years. She concentrated her study on Astro Turf and natural grass pitches. She compared the populations of fungi, yeasts, moulds and bacteria on both types of playing pitches to see which one posed the greater risk of infection for players. She used contact agar plates to culture the microorganisms and, with the aid of Aideen Considine from ATU, was able to identify the Microorganisms present. The results revealed that Astro Turf is safer than natural grass and has the added advantage that it can be cleaned.  





Latest News

  • Jordan Larmour visits SGS

    Monday 9th October saw a surprise visitor to Sligo Grammar School. Jordan Larmour, Leinster and Irish International Rugby player, came to the school to meet our rugby players, both boys and girls squads. The visit was arranged by past-pupil Charlie …

    Read More »

  • Final Farewells

    Friday 29th September saw SGS bid a final farewell to teachers Garth Graham and Máire Hynes. Both teachers retire from teaching after many years in Sligo Grammar School. Mr Graham came to the school in from Northern Ireland where he …

    Read More »

  • German Tour 2023

    On Wednesday 20th September Ms. Tansey’s 2nd, 3rd and TY German students departed for a five-day four-night tour of Germany. We began with a tour of Drachenburg Castle and its stunning landscape and enjoyed a relaxed lunch at the castle …

    Read More »

  • Studying Sustainable Development

    This year Ms Moore’s TY geography class is focussing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This area of study incorporates a series of challenges for the students,  to illustrate the many issues that have to be overcome if the Goals …

    Read More »

  • Power to Change Project

    TY students spent Friday 8th September in ATU, where they were introduced to the Power to Change Project, which is a project that aims to restore our connection with nature and help community groups lead Climate Change in their localities. Students from …

    Read More »


  • View all Latest News »

Want to find out more about us?

Have a look at our online prospectus