If you’re a young scholar with a flair for science, this is the competition for you!
Learners from Kloof High School admire a gravity racer built from scratch by Paul Reed, shown in the driver’s seat, and Ivan Garroch.
School learners from grades 8 to 12 are invited to submit a science project and compete for prestigious medals or valuable prizes at the FFS Expo for Young Scientists, which will take place on 31 July and 1 August 2014 at the Conference Centre of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood Campus.
At the expo, learners present the results of their studies in any aspect of science that is of interest to them. The results are displayed visually as a poster, together with any other material that is relevant. A panel of judges will interview each exhibitor and the best entries will be awarded medals. Every participant will receive a certificate to show that he or she has taken part in the expo. The 30 best entries will be invited to participate in a four-day science tour of places of scientific interest in KZN and Gauteng.
The closing date for acceptance of entries is 30 June 2014. Late entries will be accepted until 5 July.
In addition, the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) makes an award available annually for a deserving marine science project. The award is presented for innovative research and use of good scientific method.
these learners at Kloof High School are witnessing.
They are, from left, Samkele Sowazi, Eden botha,
Phakamile Maphumulo and Alistar Mkhize.
Says Don Cochran, a director of FFS Refiners, the main sponsor of the event, “The purpose of the expo is to provide you, the learner, with the opportunity to present a project based on scientific investigation into your interest, hobby or concern. In the process, you will learn how to apply scientific method, evaluate and interpret results and reach rationally supported conclusions. We hope that this will spark in you an interest in the sciences that will lead you to study at tertiary level, culminating in a wonderful career as a scientist.”
Entries mainly take the form of results displayed as a large poster, a file containing the results and a display. There are three basic types of EXPO projects: collections, constructions and investigations, and a broad range of categories including physics and astronomy, chemistry, botany, zoology, mathematics and statistics, marine sciences, microbiology, conservation and environmental studies, human biology and medicine, energy innovations, recycling, social sciences, electronics and robotics, and many more.
Said Professor Bice Martincigh, the chair of the organising committee, “Science can be such fun, and through this science expo we hope to stimulate interest in the process of scientific thought and to create an awareness of the intellectual pleasure and fulfilment that can be gained from carrying out an investigation through experimentation leading to an understanding of how things work or interact.”
For detailed information on the expo, and an entry form, go to www.ffs-refiners.com and click on ‘Science Expo’. For more information, science teachers should contact Bice Martincigh at martinci@ukzn.ac.za.