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Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»EDUCATION»Who are the future scientists of this country?
EDUCATION

Who are the future scientists of this country?

Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailJuly 31, 2023Updated:August 3, 2023No Comments4 Mins Read
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(From left) Eskom Expo provincial coordinator, Fredy Mashate; judge convenor, Nadia Czeredrecki-Schmidt and gold medal winners, Conré Henning, Dinisa Buhle, Mairi van Schoor, Alutha Botha, Savanna Renaud, Rutendo Chakona and chief judge Leo Goosen at the prize-giving. Photo: Steven Lang
(From left) Eskom Expo provincial coordinator, Fredy Mashate; judge convenor, Nadia Czeredrecki-Schmidt and gold medal winners, Conré Henning, Dinisa Buhle, Mairi van Schoor, Alutha Botha, Savanna Renaud, Rutendo Chakona and chief judge Leo Goosen at the prize-giving. Photo: Steven Lang

By Steven Lang

The hard work they put in over the last few weeks paid off big time at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists in the Makhanda Regional finals on Saturday. Six pupils in grades nine to 11 won gold medals in the fiercely contested science competition. Eight projects received silver medals, and 14 were awarded bronze medals.

Judges struggling to assess a project. Photo: Steven Lang
Judges struggling to assess a project. Photo: Steven Lang

A lot of preparation went into making the day a success. Some pupils had been working on their projects for weeks – painstakingly recording their observations, writing out methodologies, re-writing results and taking into account their teacher’s guidance. It is certain that many young people were working till late the night before.

Projects were allocated the following categories:

  • Computer Science, Physics and Maths
  • Environmental Studies and Plant Sciences
  • Agricultural and Animal
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Ethics
  • Biomedical and Chemistry
  • Earth Sciences and Energy

Gold medallists scored over 80% for their projects:

Pupil NameProject titleSchool
Dinisa BuhleDoes nutritional value have an influence on the density of fruit and vegetables?Port Alfred High School
Conré HenningEmergency Rescue BotPJ Olivier
Mairi van SchoorThe relationship between shape and soundVictoria Girls High School
Alutha BothaExploring habitat use by juvenile fishes in Algoa Bay through remote underwater videosNombulelo Secondary School
Rutendo ChakonaDetecting fish species using environmental DNAVictoria Girls High School
Savanna RenaudOf mice and musicKingswood College

Table 1: Gold medallists scored over 80% for their projects

The marking system for the projects is very strict. At least two teams of judges have to examine each project, and then a convenor must ensure that teams with different marks reach a consensus on an appropriate final mark. The marks then have to pass the scrutiny of a moderator and the chief judge, Leo Goosen, before any awards can be made.

Conré Henning, a grade nine pupil from PJ Olivier School won a gold medal with his ‘Emergency Rescue Bot’ entry designed to carry out missions in a mining cave-in. Photo: Steven Lang
Conré Henning, a grade nine pupil from PJ Olivier School won a gold medal with his ‘Emergency Rescue Bot’ entry designed to carry out missions in a mining cave-in. Photo: Steven Lang

Silver medals were awarded to projects that scored between 70 and 70%. There were two silvers each for Victoria Girls High School and Funda High from Whittlesea, and one each from Bulelani  Senior Secondary School in Komani, Ntaba Maria, Kingswood College and Graeme College.

Projects that scored from 60 to 69% received bronze medals. Oatlands Preparatory School, Kingswood College and Victoria Girls High School received three each; Hoërskool Hangklip won two; while Ntaba Maria, Funda High and Ntsika Senior Secondary were awarded one bronze medal each.

Avuzwa Xhalabile and Uzundakhe Nzayo of Ntaba Maria School with their project on ‘Electrical, Electronics and Embedded Systems’. Photo: Steven Lang
Avuzwa Xhalabile and Uzundakhe Nzayo of Ntaba Maria School with their project on ‘Electrical, Electronics and Embedded Systems’. Photo: Steven Lang

Rhodes University contributed three of the most valuable prizes to gold medallists: Savanna Renaud, Rutendo Chakona and Alutha Botha. They were awarded a year’s free tuition in the Faculty of Science – a prize said to be worth about R60,000 each.

There were a number of special awards, including trophies and books from the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), R5,000 worth of technical equipment from RS South Africa and books donated by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB).

Stern looking judges interviewing one of the pupils on her project. Judges examined each project in pairs so that they could discuss the merits of each entry. Photo: Steven Lang
Stern looking judges interviewing one of the pupils on her project. Judges examined each project in pairs so that they could discuss the merits of each entry. Photo: Steven Lang

Altogether 79 projects were on display at the Great Hall on Rhodes University Campus.

Some of the pupils who lived far from town had to wake up at 3:00 am to make the bus ride and arrive on time in a cold, blustery Makhanda. As soon as the bus parked, they had to hurry to set up their projects in time to face the first judges.

In view of the logistical challenges of getting to Makhanda, it is not surprising that local schools had a far higher representation.

Number of projects per school:

No.Name of SchoolTown
17Kingswood CollegeMakhanda
16Victoria Girls High SchoolMakhanda
9Ntaba MariaMakhanda
8Sixishe Junior Secondary SchoolKomani
7Bulelani Senior Secondary SchoolKomani (Queenstown)
6Oatlands Preparatory SchoolMakhanda
5Funda HighWhittlesea
3Ntsika Secondary SchoolMakhanda
2Get Ahead CollegeKomani
2Hoërskool HangklipKomani
2Nombulelo Secondary SchoolMakhanda
1Port Alfred High SchoolPort Alfred
1PJ OlivierMakhanda
Table 2: Number of projects per school

The winners of the regional finals, held in various parts of the country, will participate in the national finals in Gauteng later this year. The national winners will then have the opportunity to compete in an international competition.

Chief judge, Leo Goosen, awards a gold medal to Mairi van Schoor for her linguistics project on ‘The shape of sound’. Photo: Steven Lang
Chief judge, Leo Goosen, awards a gold medal to Mairi van Schoor for her linguistics project on ‘The shape of sound’. Photo: Steven Lang
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