By Steven Lang
Some of the sharpest science minds in our area put their creative thinking on show at the regional finals of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists on Saturday. Primary and secondary schools from as far as Whittlesea, Port Alfred, Komani and Alexandria competed with the best that Makhanda has to offer.
Learners, teachers and judges had to be really enthusiastic and committed to their projects to brave the morning cold. Several busloads of learners from Komani had to leave their school at one-thirty in the morning and sleep in their vehicles to make it on time for registration. Soon after arriving in Makhanda, they had to set up their projects in the Great Hall at Rhodes University and be ready to put on cheery expressions to face the judges.
Regional Science Fair director, Nadia Czeredrecki-Schmidt said, “The 40th Grahamstown Regional Eskom Expo for Young Scientists was a great success, and the quality of projects has seen an improvement over the years due to the strong partnerships built with our wider education community and higher education institutions”.
Competition was intense as the stakes were high. The four gold medal winners, Haidee Thondhlana, Rutendo Chakona, Olivia Weyl and Siphesihle Khumalo will be sent to Gauteng to compete in Eskom Expo International Science Fair at the end of September. In addition to their gold medal prizes, the top three, Thondhlana, Chakona and Weyl were awarded valuable bursaries at Rhodes University.
Judges’ Coordinator for the Makhanda Regional Expo, Kevin Lobb said that the learners came up with many original and innovative ideas. He added, “Across all fields, the learners were enthusiastic and their excitement for their work was also apparent. Overall, 62 learners achieved a merit or a medal attesting to the quality of the projects seen in the region”.
The Makhanda Regional Expo in numbers:
- 91 learners set up 80 projects
- 62 learners achieved an award
- Four received gold medals and 17 were awarded silver medals.
- 72 Judges from the Rhodes University Science and Pharmacy Faculties, and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB).
- Eight convenors from the Science and Pharmacy faculties, SAIAB and Kingswood College.
- One Chief Judge
Rhodes Vice Chancellor, Dr Sizwe Mabizela, said his university was proud to support such an important event where young minds are testing their ability to innovate. He spoke about the value of being curious in order to produce new knowledge and he inspired the learners with his advice that they should “Never cease to wonder”. He acknowledged that research was often difficult and frustrating especially when the desired results were not forthcoming, but he urged the learners to never give up in their efforts.
As a mathematician himself, Mabizela is deeply invested in promoting the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics ) subjects among young people. He devoted a large part of his afternoon to walking among the rows of projects reading about hypotheses, methodologies and conclusions as well as discussing experiments with their creators.
In the early years of Eskom Expo, male learners tended to dominate the top prizes and so Eskom created a special category for the best female young scientist. Since those days, the situation has been completely inverted and in recent years female learners have tended to be the top achievers. This year, all four gold medals, plus the majority of special prizes went to female learners.
| Eskom Prize | Name | School | Grade | Project Title |
| Best Female | Haidee Thondhlana | Kingswood College | 10 | Spekboom Doomsday |
| Best Innovation | Endinako Sizani | Funda High School | 10 | The Communication Glove |
| Best Development | Olothando Gqaboti | Ntaba Maria Primary School | 7 | Effects of Self-Made Mixtures |
| Best Energy | Alizwa Hoyi | Kuyasa Combined School | 10 | Solar Glide |
There were a number of additional special prizes from sponsors:
- SAIAB Book prizes were awarded to Ben Shaw, Olivia Weyl and Makayla Cock.
- WESSA Prizes went to Haidee Thondhlana, Danika Lensley, Daniel Czeredrecki-Schmidt and Olothando Gqaboti.
- RS South Africa awarded prizes to Condre Henning and Wanda Duda
- Redwood Spur presented vouchers to Olothando Gqaboti and Ben Shaw
- Rhodes Department of Pharmacy Health Sciences awarded a prize to Kelly Brown.
Dr Mamoeletsi Mosia, board chairperson of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists and managing director of the South Africa Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) spoke with admiration about the hunger for knowledge she recognised in the learners at the exhibition. She said that many of the learners at the Expo were the first ones of their family to make it so far and they could justifiably feel proud of themselves.
She asked the learners to take a picture of themselves in the lecture theatre where the prize-giving was taking place, and to remember that picture when they are fully-fledged university students attending lectures in the very same venue. They will be able to see how far they have come.
