Parktown High School for Girls is training future scientists at the Grade 9 and 10 science expo that is currently happening until May 10.
Natural science teacher and grade head Narisha Govender explained that the science expo is an opportunity for the learners to put the theory into practice.
“The compulsory expo in Grade 9 will continue until the end of the week. I will select some of the projects to be entered into the regional science expo which takes place at Wits in July and then from there, there is external selection from the international science fair which takes place in October and then there is a variety of competitions after that.”
Grade 9 learner Marina Badat said her problem statement of her project was that more awareness needs to be raised about not only the harmful effects of vaping on the human body but also on plants.
“The benefits of my project will prove that vaping smoke is harmful and toxic to plants and will hopefully encourage people to stop vaping. The aim is to investigate the different volumes of vaping juice and how they affect the appearance of pansy flower plants while keeping the type of plant, height of plant, size, and type of humidifier constant.”
Another Grade 9 learner Vinny Tchekounang added that her project aimed to investigate the effect of different vegetable substitutes for sugar such as beetroot, pumpkin, and sweet potato on the density of a vanilla cupcake while keeping the number of eggs, milk, flour, vanilla essence, sugar, and salt the same.
“My project aims to discover innovative ways to recreate cakes, allowing those with dietary conditions to enjoy them without remorse.”
Siphiwe Semenya highlighted that many people in the country experienced load-shedding which leaves them in darkness. Candles are the cheapest solution to this problem but candles do not seem to last longer especially when you need them for longer periods.
“The aim is to investigate the effect of different amounts of salt on the rate at which a candle burns while keeping the weight of the initial candle; colour of the candle, type of wax, brand and type of salt, burn time, and placement of each candle the same.”
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