Expo For Young Scientists

It was second time lucky for Sive Nunu and Lungelwa Tyeda (see photo) at the 25th annual Eskom Expo at the MTN Sciencentre in Cape Town in 2007.

The grade 11 students from Hlanganiso high school have entered the annual Expo for Young Scientists before. But this time, the Khayelitsha students were awarded gold medals for their project on the causes of electrical fires in informal settlements.

The gold medal means they now compete in the nationals in Pretoria during the September school holidays.

Alex Erlank and Shaun Irwin of Westerford High School in Rondebosch also won their first gold on a second effort, this time after creating a remote-controlled Mars-style rover.

South Africa's best boffins then go on to compete internationally.

Another of the 20 gold medalists from Cape Town will be an old hand at the national competition. Abigail Gottlieb, a grade ten student at Herzlia School, received her third gold medal for an intensive project investigating any links between hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer in 180 post-menopausal women.

Two students aware of consumer rights and recent controversies over adulterated food, Naadhirah Mukadam and Sameera Mohamed of Pinelands High, won gold medals after testing fizzy tablets to see if they really contained vitamin C as promised.

Stephanus Spammer of Wynberg Boys High won a gold medal for generating electricity for road signs from the passing traffic.

Expo vice-chairperson Sharon Sickler said all 22 gold medal project contestants will meet on Friday August 24 at Bishops Diocesan School in Rondebosch for a mandatory upgrading session prior to the nationals.