National Science and Technology Awards for Students

National Science and Technology Awards for High School Students

Nine high school students have won awards at the prestigious Genesis Energy Realise the Dream ceremony for their outstanding scientific research, technological development or engineering projects.

The students received scholarships and travel grants to attend international science and technology events for their projects on bulk food dispensing, tractor safety, earthworm composting, nitrate leaching, algal blooms, stream health, tendon cell repair and native grass survival.

Royal Society of New Zealand Chief Executive Dr Andrew Cleland congratulated the students on their excellent research and development projects. “Many New Zealand students are talented and innovative. Those who have won awards have worked incredibly hard and learnt the benefits of facing and overcoming failures. Talent, motivation and tenacity are the hallmarks of those who will go on to succeed in later life.”

“We hope participating in the Realise the Dream programme has encouraged them to continue their studies in science, technology and engineering.”

Tim Logan from Darfield High School in Canterbury won the Genesis Energy Supreme Award for his research on the impact of stock grazing on native grass species, showing that stock grazing can work in conjunction with ecological conservation. He receives a $7,000 education scholarship and will represent New Zealand at the European Union Young Scientist Competition in Milan, Italy in September 2015.

The US Ambassador’s Award went to Nathan James from Burnside High School for his development of i-Dispense – a hygienic automated bulk bin dispenser for supermarkets.

Nathan receives a travel grant to attend the INTEL Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May 2015. The fair is the biggest of its type in the world with over 1500 participants attending from around the world.

Research into algal blooms in Northland lakes has won Georgia Putt from Kerikeri High School the British High Commission Travel Award. She receives an all expenses paid trip to attend the London Youth International Science Forum in July 2015, where 300 students come together from 60 countries for two weeks of science, including spending time at CERN.

Two Kerikeri High School students will be attending the Taiwan International Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Taipei in Februrary 2015. Jason Leaming received the IPENZ Travel Award to attend for his research into using vermicomposting for treating dairying waste and Lucy Ellingham won the DairyNZ Travel Award for her research into how phosphates from farming run-off influences the growth of duckweed in polluted rivers and whether calcium carbonate, a key component of agricultural lime, can reduce phosphate levels.

The National Commission for UNESCO Award was won by Rena Liu and Amiee Zang from Epsom Girls Grammar School for their research into the repair of tendon cells. They share a $5,000 scholarship.

Kyle Robertson from Palmerston North Boys’ High School won the DairyNZ Scholarship Award of $5,000 for his study into how soil compaction from stock trampling affected nitrate leaching.

Maria Burnett from James Hargest College in Invercargill won the Royal Society of New Zealand Peter Spratt Memorial Award of a $3,000 scholarship for her research into making tractors safer by shielding the driver from the Power Take Off or PTO shaft.

The awards were presented by Governor-General Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae at Government House on Friday evening 12 December.

The winning students were among 16 selected to attend the 2014 Genesis Energy Realise the Dream week-long programme, organised by the Royal Society of New Zealand. The programme rewards a small group of pupils for undertaking a piece of excellent science research or engineering. They have been hosted by leading science organisations nationwide, including the Liggins Institute and the Photon Factory at the University of Auckland, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, DairyNZ, Genesis Energy and NIWA. Alongside being exposed to some of the country’s cutting- edge science, the pupils have also had the opportunity to participate in social and team building activities throughout the week.

ENDS

For more information

Debbie Woodhall, Project Manager – Public Engagement, Royal Society of New Zealand, email: Debbie.woodhall@royalsociety.org.nz , 027 229 6380

Nancy de Bueger, Project Manager – Digital Engagement & Communications, Royal Society of New Zealand, 04 470 5807, 027 458 8982 nancy.debueger@royalsociety.org.nz

Background information

Details of the students’ projects are below:

Maria Burnett, 16, James Hargest College, Invercargill

SMART SWITCH

The Power Take-Off shaft, commonly referred to as a PTO shaft, is a rotating mechanical shaft from a tractor which is used to transmit power to attached implements. Since the PTO shaft can spin at up to 1000RPM, the tractor operator can easily get entangled, often leading to severe injuries.

With this in mind, Maria set out to build a product that reduces or eliminates the risk of entanglement when working around a PTO shaft.

Maria has made a U-shaped shield that covers the tractor stub shaft and the front universal joint of the PTO drive shaft. When a person or object comes into contact with the shield, one of two micro switches is tripped, causing the PTO shaft to be disengaged.

She has designed a product that can be attached or detached without having to interact with the PTO shaft at all. Her product is universal in that it works with a variety of tractors and can easily be moved from one tractor to another without disconnecting any machinery.

Maria aims to further develop her prototype based on comments from her stakeholders to make it smaller, more robust in dirty environments and more aesthetically pleasing.

Lucy Ellingham, 16, Kerikeri High School

WEEDING OUT PHOSPHATES

Lucy chose to investigate the impact phosphate levels have on plant growth, as well as investigating calcium carbonate, a key component of agricultural lime, as a possible solution to the problem of excess phosphate.

Phosphorus is an element which is essential to both plant and animal life. In a waterway, dissolved phosphate ions are taken up by things like plants and algae, which use phosphate to produce Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency which drives nearly every chemical process, including photosynthesis.

When there is an excess of phosphate in the water, these plants and algae are able to grow at an accelerated rate. Phosphate pollution can come from a number of sources, but one of the most pressing is our agricultural sector.

Lucy conducted a number of experiments. First of all, she established the effect of phosphate on freshwater aquatic plants and then worked out which concentrations of phosphate put plants in the danger zone, where rapid acceleration of growth might take place.

Her findings and recommendations may have a significant impact for the New Zealand dairy industry.

Nathan James, 16, Burnside High School

I-DISPENSE

Have you been put off buying from bulk bins because you are worried about the hygiene of the products or cost when you reach the checkout? Nathan wondered this and initiated a large survey of customers as well as obtaining feedback from supermarkets and a bulk food supplier.

Surprisingly, the priorities of each group were quite different and this information was used to define the system requirements for “i-Dispense”, a hygienic automated bulk bin dispenser which is easy to operate, can dispense by weight or total cost of product, is economical to run and minimises product waste.

Based on this information gathering exercise, Nathan developed a proposal for “i-Dispense”, consulted with supermarket stakeholders, and revised his system brief before developing an ambitious full project specification. Key to the product design was the delivery mechanism which had to be reliable and hygienic. Industry standard computer aided design packages, 3D modelling, and plastic printing experience had to be gained to perfect the screw auger mechanism.

Extensive evaluation and testing was carried out for each phase of the design process.

A working prototype was trialled and customer feedback used to improve functionality. Nathan has planned to integrate “i-Dispense” into supermarket product stocking alert systems, have automatic bag detection with label printing, develop an improved touch screen user interface and phone application. The “i-Dispense” is a commercially workable product that could well be in a supermarket near you soon.

Jason Leaming, 17, Kerikeri High School

VERMICOMPOSTING – EFFICIENT DAIRY SLUDGE PROCESSING

The continued growth of dairy farming in New Zealand and the move toward keeping cows on stand-off pads has seen a major increase in two significant waste streams: the wood fibre that is scraped off the surface of the standing pads and the effluent that is now concentrated at the site of these pads. In combination, these waste streams offer the farmer an opportunity to recycle valuable nutrients back into the soil as an up-valued soil conditioner.

Jason’s investigation explores vermicomposting as a tool to efficiently manage these two significant waste streams. Sludge was removed from a settling pond and mixed with a range of carbon products that are recommended by DairyNZ for use in stand-off pads: wood chips, post peelings, sawdust and also wood shavings (used in calf sheds). The wood fibre/sludge mixtures were assessed on their acceptability to tiger worms (Eisenia fetida) by measuring the pH of the mixture and seeing if they corresponded with the preferred pH for tiger worms.

Tiger worms were used throughout the investigation as they represent the worm species most widely used in vermicomposting in New Zealand. Tiger worms feed on decomposing organic matter, bacteria and fungi in the upper organic horizon of soil.

All of the particle sizes of the wood fibre tested were found to be acceptable to tiger worms and capable of supporting an increase in their body mass beyond that of the compost.

While a comparison of the average worm density in each mixture may indicate a preference for post peelings this cannot be statistically proven and more trials are recommended.

Vermicomposting can therefore be recommended as a possible onsite technology to process the twin waste streams of wood fibre and effluent generated by dairy farms. The next step would be to implement medium-scale field trials with a continuous windrow system, testing resulting compost for its nutrient content and then comparing this output to that of current practises.

Rena Liu & Amiee Zang, 18, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, Auckland

TENOCYTE REGENERATION

Rena and Amiee’s investigation explores ways to encourage the regeneration of tenocytes (tendon cells) when they are damaged (e.g. from sport injuries or arthritis).

Tendons are mainly made up of collagen fibres, which support the connection between muscle and bone. When tendons are injured the collagen does not regenerate properly. Rena and Aimee initially investigated the effect of the growth factor lactoferrin (a protein found in milk) to see whether it increases the amount of collagen produced in cells. They found that with increasing concentrations of lactoferrin, the amount of collagen produced did not follow a corresponding increasing trend.

They then decided to investigate the effect of changing the concentration of fetal bovine serum (FBS) which provides nutrients for the cells. They discovered that with increasing FBS concentrations, the amount of collagen production also increased, which may have influenced their initial results. They applied their new understanding of the effects of FBS to redesign their initial investigation into lactoferrin, confirming that increasing lactoferrin concentrations had no statistically significant effect on increasing the amount of collagen produced.

A concurrent investigation was carried out into the effects of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). The addition of PDGF caused an increase in cell population. However, for the purposes of their investigation, an increase in cell culture (from the effect of the growth factor itself) is also a positive outcome as this means more collagen is being produced.

Tim Logan, 17, Darfield High School, Canterbury

TO GRAZE OR NOT TO GRAZE

Tim’s two-year research project centres around protecting indigenous plant species across drylands on the Canterbury Plains. Some of these low-growing native plants are extremely rare and at risk of extinction. Tim’s project investigated the link between plant survival and stock grazing levels.

Throughout the project, Tim consulted widely, learning to structure a botanical survey across landforms, identify plant species that he was likely to find and master a complex statistics modelling computer programme – all totally new areas of learning for him.

Using a grid system, Tim worked his way across areas selected for their differing landforms identifying, counting and analysing the numbers of the prostrate indigenous plants and surrounding shrubs, the depth of the soil in which they grew and comparing grazed and stock-free sites. He concluded that stock grazing at a low to moderate level is beneficial to most remaining indigenous grassland species but is highly detrimental for remnant shrubs.

Tim’s findings - that stock grazing can occur in conjunction with ecological conservation – could help in the development of future land management plans and grazing regimes.

During the past two years, Tim has collected seeds and grown cuttings from the indigenous species he discover and has established a nursery and restoration area on his parents’ farm.

Tim’s project highlights his knowledge and understanding of native species, their growth patterns and the grazing styles that allow their survival. His long-term commitment and dedication to conservation and his interest in protecting this unique ecosystem is driven by his enthusiasm to ensure New Zealand’s unique biodiversity survives, particularly on Canterbury’s Waimakariri Plains.

Georgia Putt, 17, Kerikeri High School

BLOOMING ALGAE

Georgia lives very close to an irrigation lake and she became interested in the effects of a particularly unpleasant algal bloom that took place two years ago.

Over an extensive series of experiments, sampling water and algae from seven different Northland lakes, Georgia was able to identify the effect of population density on the rate of algal population increase.

She then investigated the effect of nitrate concentration on algal growth. Using this data she compared the nitrate and algal levels within the seven lakes to determine the level of risk of eutrophication. Georgia was able to create a standard curve of algal population density against light transmission which she hopes can be used as an easier way of predicting population density, and hence the risk of a future algal bloom.

Georgia also considered the effectiveness of three potential methods for reducing the impact of algal blooms: the planting of willow on the banks, bulrush islands and the addition of zinc powder at a concentration of 40ug/L. She found that willow planting and the floating islands were effective in reducing the nitrate levels as well as the density of the algae.

Kyle Robertson, 17, Palmerston North Boys’ High School

PRESSURE’S ON! UR-IN 2 DEEP

Nitrogen input to soil for dairy farming has become an important issue in recent years as dairy farming expands. In the soil, concentrated urea from cow urine is converted to nitrate, which can move readily through the soil and eventually end up as a pollutant in ground water and waterways. Compaction and pugging of the soil on dairy farms is also an issue concerning dairy farmers, as stock treading under wet conditions can affect subsequent grass growth.

Kyle wondered how soil compaction also affected nitrate leaching. In his experiments he applied simulated cow urine to two types of soils: Manawatu fine sandy loam and Tokomaru silt loam. He used bromide as a surrogate for nitrate.

Kyle investigated each soil before and after compaction. Soil compaction was done using a hydraulic pump, mimicking an average dairy cow’s hoof pressure.

Kyle found that soil compaction significantly increased bulk density, significantly decreased total porosity, macroporosity and conductivity. To his surprise he found that compaction significantly increased bromide leaching from both soil types.

Based on his results, Kyle suggests that to minimise the risk of nitrate leaching, stocking rate should decrease and cows should be grazed predominantly on silt soils rather than sandy soils.

About the Royal Society of New Zealand

The Royal Society of New Zealand offers expert advice to government and the public, recognises excellence in research and scholarship in science, technology and humanities, promotes science and technology education, publishes peer-reviewed journals, administers funds for research and fosters international scientific contact and co-operation.

www.royalsociety.org.nz

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