This annual event offers ambitious young scientists an opportunity to exhibit their ground-breaking research projects.
The two Gqeberha learners, Olwam Sakata and Liyema Vandala from Ndzondelelo High School in Zwide, both won gold medals in the regional finals and went on to win gold and silver respectively at the ISF.
A total of 253 South African young scientists competed alongside 17 international participants from Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mexico, Mozambique, Turkey and Zimbabwe. The title sponsor, Eskom, sponsored 27 full-time bursaries for recipients to study electrical engineering at a South African university of their choice.
Olwam’s project - Rainwater Harvesting: The use of water tanks in South African Townships earned her a gold medal and Liyema’s project on Escherichia coli response to different treatment methods: Treated Wastewater vs River water, earner her a silver. The awards include fully funded scholarships and a Samsung tablet.
“I started working with the students on these projects early last year, showing them the importance of water and a step-by-step process on how to approach the two projects. Our lab team also taught them about GIS and water treatment using household products” said Bamanye.
“The fun part about these two projects is that they were multidisciplinary. They included water sciences, chemistry, maths, geography, and biology, making sure the students had the opportunity to learn a lot about the field of science and how important it is to combine different disciplines to solve a problem.
We also taught the students how to present scientific data using Excel, as they were not familiar with the programme.
I enjoyed working with these two very bright young girls as they showed dedication and willingness to learn more about water. We aim to continue with projects like these, reaching out to high school leaners and teaching them about the importance of groundwater and water in general.”