Kids win fair for thinking outside square

BY CARLY TAWHIAO

Ponsonby Intermediate School students are proving that New Zealand’s science and technology future is bright.

The 11 and 12-year-olds dominated the 50th annual Auckland City Science and Technology Fair last month, winning four of the five categories for their age group.

Zac Engle’s interest in earthquakes led him to win the Planet Earth and Beyond category with his research into soils.

Inventor Madeleine Cooper wanted to cross the Meola Reef mudflats without sinking or slipping.

Her award-winning pair of mudflat walkers, made from sneakers and car tyres, helped her glide across the mud and win first place in the technology category.

In the Material World category, Benjamin Zambo’s investigations into the most environmentally sustainable wood discovered that an Australian wood called jarrah is a no-go zone because it doesn’t grow fast enough to be sustainable, winning him the top prize.

And Sienna Mark-Brown’s experiment proving that mental practice was more effective than physical practice earned her the top spot in the Living World category.

Surita Manoa and Phillippe Voinov both came second in their Physical World and Technology categories respectively, making the annual fair an overwhelming success for the school.

Science teacher David Groves credits co-ordinator Fiona McGregor for keeping them all motivated but admits he has a lot of keen and able science students.

"Some of them are at high school level. It’s an incredible achievement," he says.

"They got to choose subjects they really enjoyed and were given ample time to work on their projects. They were also really supportive of each other’s work."

The fair is sponsored by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research and education co-ordinator Julie Hall says it’s a great way to get kids thinking about science.

The event attracted more than 240 entries from year seven to 13 students at 21 schools throughout the region.

Students were interviewed by a panel of judges and the best project in each category received a certificate and a cash prize.

Winning projects were also nominated for a place at the national Realise the Dream festival for young scientists and technologists in December.

- © Fairfax NZ News