Science expo goes down without a hitch

THE 2013 FFS Expo for Young Scientists, which ended on Friday 26 July, was again a big success, with pupils from six additional schools exhibiting for the first time.

“There were about 250 high school pupils present and more than 160 projects on display, but what is excellent is the schools who were new to the expo, they were mostly from rural areas, mostly previously disadvantaged schools, and from the far corners of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Logis Pillai, one of the organisers.

FFS Refiners was the main sponsor and is also sponsoring about 25 of the top achievers and a group of disadvantaged young scientists on a four-day tour of various sites of scientific interest in KZN and Gauteng, including the Drakensberg Pumping Station, Wits University Planetarium, the Hartbeeshoek Radio and Astronomy Observatory, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Laser Centre, Pretoria Zoo, Tswaing Meteorite Crater, Sterkfontein Caves, and the NECSA Atomic Energy Corporation at Pelindaba.

The award for best senior project went to Daverin Nadesan, a Grade 10 pupil at Star College Boys’ High School, for his entry in the electronics and robotics category entitled: The robotic catapult.

The award for best junior project was won by Tyrique Byroo, a Grade 8 pupil at Star College Boys’ High School, for his entry in the energy innovations category entitled, Biogas the fuel of the future.

“The purpose of the expo is to stimulate interest in the process of scientific thought and to create an awareness of the intellectual pleasure and fulfilment that can be gained from carrying out an investigation through experimentation leading to an understanding of how things work or interact,” said Don Hunter, a director of FFS Refiners.