Durban — KwaZulu-Natal’s Dia Singh and Deborah Maswanganyi were among the winners during the Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF) held in Boksburg.
In total, KZN had a total of 39 different winners from 270 participating local and international researchers.
Dia, from St Dominics Newcastle High School, won the Meiring Naude Award – which included a R1 000 cash prize – for most inspiring project. Both won laptops from Babcock.
Dia, 16, said she was inspired after watching a documentary about a plastic straw stuck in a turtle’s nostril. She researched ways to remove plastic and found that not all plastics could be recycled.
Dia said burning plastic was dangerous and inefficient. She found a way to make plastic burn itself and put the emissions released to good use.
Dia said she was encouraged by her school to join the Expo.
“They had belief in me and that I could excel. These awards have motivated me to work hard as companies find a need for my projects. I am honoured to receive these awards as I am a woman of colour. I will continue to work on my project to help the environment,” Dia said.
She won a total of five awards: Eskom Expo Gold Medal; Eskom Expo Best Engineering Project; Meiring Naude Award; TIA Innovation Bootcamp; and a laptop. Dia wants to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.
Eskom group executive: Government and Regulatory Affairs, Nthato Minyuku said this was an exciting return to form for the ISF. Minyuku said he was inspired to see young scientists tackle issues that affect their communities, including attempts to develop various solutions, from creating sustainable energy-efficient homes to improving infrastructure, to cost-effective green solutions.
“The Expo provides greater exposure to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation (STEMI) activities from a young age, which is an important driver for transformation of our economy and the creation of a better world for all,” Minyuku said.
Eskom Development Foundation CEO Sumaya Nassiep, said the initiative aimed to create a pipeline of young innovators to serve across a range of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation (STEMI) industries.
“We were delighted to see that 153 of the 270 learners who took part this year were girls. Increased female participation in STEMI is key to tackling local and global challenges,” Nassiep said.
Other KZN winners include: Nhlankanipho Dube –who won a laptop for Most Innovative Waste Recycling, Deborah Maswanganyi – who won a laptop, Asanda Zikalala, Kaela Magjee, Mandy Nyawose and Tahir Inderpersad.
Daily News
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