FEATURES -
| 2013-07-30Khomas Regional Science Fair a Big Success
Staff Reporter
CAPTIONS: SOLAR CART … William Shidute, Grade 12 learner from Corcordia College, with his project concept of a solar powered cart. The solar panel charges a battery with turns a motor that turns the wheels. Once the concept is fully developed, he foresees that it will be very useful for communities in the informal settlements to fetch water or to be used as a vehicle for disabled people.
More than 300 learners from 38 schools in the Khomas Region recently gathered at the SKW Hall in Windhoek for the 25th Regional Science, Mathematics, and Technology Fair 2013.
A total of 183 projects were showcased by pupils, both from primary as well as secondary schools. The event, under the theme ‘Save Water, Safe Life’, was funded by Debmarine Namibia to the tune of N$30 000, and the Ministry of Education.
A prize-giving ceremony was held at the end of two days of evaluation of the projects. Two projects, one from a primary school and one from a secondary school were selected as the overall winners.
The two pupils who submitted the winning projects and walked away with the laurels were Oliver Diggle of St George Primary School and Ella Alexander of the Windhoek International School.
Each winner received a floating trophy, as well as a cash prize of N$1 150 from the Ministry of Education. Oliver’s project demonstrated how Namibia could generate environment-friendly electricity from the ocean waves of its 1,570 kilometre coastline. This system, called Wave Power, is operational in several countries, including Britain, France and Australia. On the other hand, Ella’s project focused on studying solar power and biomass in order to investigate which one would be a more suitable energy option for Namibia in the long-term.
In addition to these two winning projects, 18 other projects were selected to represent the Khomas Region at the National Science Fair that will be held later in the year.
According to the organisers, the projects which pupils submitted for this year’s science fair covered a wide variety of topics ranging from practical solutions to everyday challenges, to providing scientific answers to everyday questions.
One project, for example, demonstrated how to generate electricity cost-effectively in a rural setup using an alternator mounted to a bicycle, while another one demonstrated step-by-step how to make a rural fridge to keep water cool without using electricity.
Another project attempted to answer the question: ‘Do Namibian meat labels correctly indicate what meat we eat and do they follow best practices in doing so?’ According to the findings, meat labels in Namibia meet only 30% of the required standards for international best practices. The study highlighted that the Meat Board recently introduced a new improved system which will be rolled out in the industry. Still another pupul attempted to explore a topic of cosmic proportions: ‘What will happen to the earth when the sun dies?’
Other topics focused on various organs and systems of the human body, and were trying to answer questions like: ‘Can a dead person’s brain work in another person’s head?’
And then there were practical projects focusing on the development of easy games to help pupils learn their multiplication tables by heart or learn the names of Namibia’s 13 regions, also through a game.
Topics were divided in 11 main categories, and pupils who submitted projects that received the highest points in each category received cash prizes of N$850 each from the Ministry of Education.
A prize-giving ceremony was held at the end of two days of evaluation of the projects. Two projects, one from a primary school and one from a secondary school were selected as the overall winners.
The two pupils who submitted the winning projects and walked away with the laurels were Oliver Diggle of St George Primary School and Ella Alexander of the Windhoek International School.
Each winner received a floating trophy, as well as a cash prize of N$1 150 from the Ministry of Education. Oliver’s project demonstrated how Namibia could generate environment-friendly electricity from the ocean waves of its 1,570 kilometre coastline. This system, called Wave Power, is operational in several countries, including Britain, France and Australia. On the other hand, Ella’s project focused on studying solar power and biomass in order to investigate which one would be a more suitable energy option for Namibia in the long-term.
In addition to these two winning projects, 18 other projects were selected to represent the Khomas Region at the National Science Fair that will be held later in the year.
According to the organisers, the projects which pupils submitted for this year’s science fair covered a wide variety of topics ranging from practical solutions to everyday challenges, to providing scientific answers to everyday questions.
One project, for example, demonstrated how to generate electricity cost-effectively in a rural setup using an alternator mounted to a bicycle, while another one demonstrated step-by-step how to make a rural fridge to keep water cool without using electricity.
Another project attempted to answer the question: ‘Do Namibian meat labels correctly indicate what meat we eat and do they follow best practices in doing so?’ According to the findings, meat labels in Namibia meet only 30% of the required standards for international best practices. The study highlighted that the Meat Board recently introduced a new improved system which will be rolled out in the industry. Still another pupul attempted to explore a topic of cosmic proportions: ‘What will happen to the earth when the sun dies?’
Other topics focused on various organs and systems of the human body, and were trying to answer questions like: ‘Can a dead person’s brain work in another person’s head?’
And then there were practical projects focusing on the development of easy games to help pupils learn their multiplication tables by heart or learn the names of Namibia’s 13 regions, also through a game.
Topics were divided in 11 main categories, and pupils who submitted projects that received the highest points in each category received cash prizes of N$850 each from the Ministry of Education.
