Thursday 17 October 2019
MOTAT and NIWA to showcase the best of the best from science & technology fairs in 2019
A new initiative showcasing some of the best school Science Fair projects in the country is set to open at the Museum of
Transport and Technology (MOTAT) this Saturday.
The Science Fair Showcase is a new exhibit featuring winning projects from more than 100 schools that have participated
in NIWA Science and Technology Fairs in the North Island.
The top five entries from science fairs held in Auckland, Central Northland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty will be on
display at MOTAT until Sunday 3rd November.
The exhibition will showcase twenty-five unique projects from students aged 11-18 years-old. Each display will outline
the student’s investigation, their methods, findings and next steps for further development.
Catherine Hunter, assistant principal at Mission Heights Junior College and one of the showcase organisers, says the
event is the culmination of a project that has spanned two years in the making inspired by a desire to share the work of
young scientists with a wider audience.
“There are some amazing projects that we just never hear about. I wanted to bring the work together so a wider public
audience could see what some of New Zealand’s young scientists are putting their energy into. The Showcase is also a
fantastic way to bring students from around NZ together so they can share their work with one another.”
Among the winning projects to be displayed will be ‘Destroying Destructor’ by 12-year-old Aidan Hodgson of Pirongia
School. Aidan’s project tested several methods of eradicating the varroa mite from beehives to win the NIWA Waikato
Science and Technology Fair.
Another winning exhibit will be Anamaya Taylor’s ‘Avocado Time Machine’. The Tauranga Intermediate student won the best
in fair award at the NIWA Bay of Plenty Science and Technology Fair after inventing an ingenious device to ripen
avocados as quickly as possible.
Tracy Burton, a freshwater ecologist and science fair co-ordinator at NIWA, says the showcase is an exciting initiative
that will celebrate the incredible array of science at science fairs in NZ.
“Each year we are impressed by students’ abilities to investigate the world around them and find solutions to ever
changing and often complex problems. This showcase will be an opportunity for the public to see some of the best
projects from young kiwi scientists.”
The Science Fair Showcase will open at MOTAT on Saturday 19 October and will run until Sunday 3 November.
MOTAT is open daily from 10am - 5pm and entry to this exhibition is included within normal MOTAT admission prices.
For general information visit: https://www.motat.org.nz/exhibitions
ends