‘Young scientists’ shine at expo

FOUR pupils have recently been recognised for their scientific and engineering projects at the KwaZulu-Natal Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.

The pupils submitted their research plans and report files online and judging was held virtually earlier this month. From the 131 projects submitted, four pupils received special awards.

Lonathemba Mazibuko, 17, of Newcastle, won the best female project category award. She is a Grade 11 pupil at Curro St Dominics.

“I created a hydraulic moveable bridge. I named it the levitating bridge. The idea came from research over the years regarding natural disasters and their effects on human populations. Having found that disasters, namely hurricanes and tsunamis, are the main factors that lead to bridges collapsing and flooding, I constructed a multifunctional moveable bridge.

“This project will help with bridge-building ideas in areas that experience floods or collapse during the heavy rains.

“The bridge would be made to automatically move up after a certain level of water is reached. This will ensure that people will still have access to bridges even after the heavy rains.”

Lonathemba said she wanted to become a petroleum or an aeronautical engineer.

Ayesha Desai, of Richards Bay, who is home-schooled through Impaq Homeschool, won the best energy project award.

The 15-year-old, a Grade 9 pupil, said she experimented with banana peels and vegetable waste to produce briquettes. She said these could be used as a greener alternative to charcoal briquettes.

“I started the project in 2018. I was looking for alternative energy sources because South Africa relies heavily on fossil fuels, which are harmful to the environment.

“I then came across biomass briquettes and I wanted to see which fruit or vegetable waste would produce the best one.

“That’s how I chose banana peels. Environmentally, the use of biomass briquettes produces much fewer greenhouse gases and are less harmful to the environment than charcoal briquette.”

Ayesha wants to pursue a career in medical sciences.

Shaylin Govender, 17, a Grade 11 pupil at Star College, won the best innovation project award for his research into developing a low-cost ventilator to help Covid-19 patients.

“I presented an automated ventilator utilising a manual resuscitator. The components are easily accessible worldwide and these were used in the construction of this project.

“The device includes various modes which provide different types of ventilation to a patient who needs breathing assistance.

“I have a passion for medicine and helping people and this encouraged me to develop the ventilator,” said Shaylin, of uMhlanga.

He wants to study medicine. Ayathandwa Mqadi, 17, of Kwanzimakwe, a Grade 11 pupil at Nombuso High School, won the best development project award.

She researched the level of awareness about environmental dangers to the Earth.

“The aim was to raise awareness about the issues that affect our planet. I did some questionnaires for people aged between 10 and 30 years old.

“I was trying to find out if they knew the factors that were affecting our planet. The results showed that most were not aware, so I will come up with solutions on how people could be best taught to be more friendly to the planet.”

She wants to study a course that is related to the environment.

Cecil Ramonotsi, the chief executive of the Eskom Development Foundation, said: “These projects demonstrated the kind of research approach that the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists endeavours to cultivate among learners.”

Nalini Dookie, the provincial co-ordinator of the Eskom Expo, said the entries reflected the issues pupils grappled with – from climate change to Covid-19 and their belief that science could bring solutions.

The final competition, the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair, will be held on October 8.

It will include participants from 35 regions in South Africa and some African countries.