More than a hundred learners had the opportunity to display their science and innovation research projects at the Northern Gauteng regional finals of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.
A total of 115 learners from the region gathered at the University of Pretoria’s Hillcrest Campus on 13 August to showcase their research projects, while 60 judges who are educators, specialists and scholars in the various competition categories and Eskom Expo enthusiasts evaluated and gave scores to the 100 projects that were on exhibition.
This regional expo was the third of four Eskom Expo physical science fairs in Gauteng since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, the most number of entries were seen in the Engineering category with 30 entries. There were also a significant number of entries in Environmental Science and Social Science Categories
Eskom Expo’s Gauteng Provincial Coordinator, Raven Motsewabangwe, said: “The Northern Gauteng Regional Expo returned to the Rembrandt Hall for the first time in four years, and the atmosphere was simply exhilarating. We were excited to have the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) come on to sponsor category awards.”
A total of 18 learners received bronze medals, while 17 received silver and 11 received gold. Learners from Star College Pretoria received the most number of gold medals and medals overall.
The Eskom Special Award winners, who were awarded Bluetooth headsets, were
- Best Innovation: Katlego Mampuru from Langenhoven High School
- Best Female: Kwatsima Chauke from Prestige College
- Best Energy: Lethabo Matona from Star College
- Best Development: Abidemi Afolayan and Regomoditswe Tapala from Langenhoven High School
Eskom Development Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Cecil Ramonotsi, said: “As the funder of Eskom Expo for Young Scientists, it has been a welcoming return to form to be able to host a physical expo in the region this year. It was impressive how learners, especially previously disadvantaged learners and girls, were able to develop such innovative projects while still at school, giving assurance that the future is in good hands. Eskom is investing in young scientists through Eskom Expo, which forms part of a broader Eskom strategy of skills development, investing in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation (STEMI) at school level.”
Nthato Minyuku, Eskom Group Executive: Government and Regulatory Affairs, said: “Eskom is committed to nurturing South Africa’s brightest young minds through regional science fairs, where they are able to present their innovations and exposed to the diversity of career opportunities in the scientific world. Eskom Expo remains one of our flagship corporate citizenship initiatives, through which we actively develop the innovation potential, presentation skills and competitive edge of our young scientists. Congratulations to all medal winners who we trust will make even greater strides at the Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF).”
Learners in the region who advance to the ISF, which will be held in December, will compete against the best performing young scientists around the country. At this prestigious event, learners stand a chance to win prizes and bursaries, along with scholarships and various opportunities. Learners also stand a chance to be selected to showcase their research or innovation in an international science fair in the United States of America, Asia, Europe and the rest of Africa.
For more information on the Northern Gauteng Regional Expo contact Raven Motsewabangwe: raven@exposcience.co.za
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