Science and Technology Regional Fairs

There are 23 regional science and technology fairs, of which Genesis Energy sponsors 16. 2000 Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair will be in Auckland from the 6-9 December at the National Maritime Museum, Auckland. 34 students are participating this year including three guest exhibitors from overseas. Their investigations are here.

Reports from the regional fairs

Genesis Energy Kapiti Coast Science & Technology Fair

The Genesis Energy Kapiti Coast Science & Technology Fair was held from 16 to 19 August. The award ceremony was extremely well attended by parents, teacher and participants and had a great community feel to it. Over 160 entries were on display.

Ellen Slater from Kapiti College was the winner in the Biological Science Category with her exhibit entitled "I love the night life", an investigation into the night life of slaters!

Sarah John from Raumati Primary won the best primary school exhibit. Her exhibit entitled "Dreams are free" was an investigation into whether left-handed people remember their dreams more clearly than right-handed people!

The overall winners were Hayley Landy and Manuela Molzan from Otaki College. Their exhibit was entitled "The vitamin C content of oranges". Mr Steve Rudd from Genesis Energy was there to present the prizes.

It was the unanimous decision of Laurie Davies and Tony Fisher (Chief Judges) that the Kapiti Coast Fair would not send an exhibit to the National Fair this year. Laurie Davies spoke at the award ceremony and said that the exhibits were of a good standard but there had not been enough analysis and testing done by exhibitors and unfortunately this was their downfall.

Workshops for teachers, parents and participants who may be thinking of entering or helping someone to participate in the Kapiti Science & Technology Fair are planned for early next year.

Congratulations to Mr John Dawson and Mr Peter Walwyn for their tireless efforts in what was an extremely well-organised Science & Technology Fair.

Genesis Energy Central Northland Science and Technology Fair

A real celebration of Science and Technology has been on display at the Genesis Energy Central Northland Science and Technology Fair over the last few days.

The Award Ceremony took place last night at Forum North in Whangarei in front of a large audience. The Central Northland Science & Technology Fair has traditionally been of a high standard and this year was no exception.

Craig Brown, Mayor of Whangarei, spoke and presented awards along with Steve Rudd, Finance Manager of Genesis Energy.

The exhibit "Feather Brains" exhibited by David Hannam from Whangarei Boys High is an investigation into hen's learning new behaviour patterns. This investigation received the award for the best overall investigation.

The best overall exhibit was "Bloomin Bulbs" exhibited by Georgia Piggot, a Year 13 student at Whangarei Girl's High School. This is an applied science investigation into different methods of senescing tubers of the Calla Lilly to gain optimum flowering in an autumn crop. Georgia will go through to the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair to be held in Auckland in December.

A token of appreciation was presented from the Central Science & Technology Fair Committee to Wes Hopgood who has been Chief Judge for the last 9 years. Wes has decided to retire as Chief Judge but will still continue to be actively involved in the regional fair.

Manawatu Genesis Energy Science and Technology Fair

The Palmerston North Convention Centre was jam-packed with over 600 people for the Manawatu Genesis Energy Science and Technology Fair Award Ceremony last Saturday night.

Chief Judge Dr Simon Hall from Massey University commented on the particularly high standard of the fair this year. It was also noted that there was an increase in exhibits from students at a Year 12 and 13 levels.

Mr Vince Hawksworth from Genesis Energy was at the award ceremony to present the premier award to Roseanne Coulter, a year 12 student from Palmerston North Girls' High School. Her exhibit entitled "Secrets of the Saddle Road" is a palaeoecological study of the Saddle Road area. Her investigation involved many field trips up and down the gully collecting fossils and geological mapping. She has been working on this investigation for over two years as part of her Gold Crest investigation. Roseanne will travel to Auckland to the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair in December.

The exhibits are on show at the Museum until the end of this week.

Merck Sharp and Dohme Manuakau City Science & Technology Fair

The Merck Sharp and Dohme Manuakau City Science & Technology Fair Award Ceremony was held at the Regional Council Civic centre on 23 August.

The Premier Award for best Exhibit of the Manukau City Fair was Ellen Paterson (Y9) and Ben Paterson (Y11) from Macleans College for their work "Para Play".

Ben and his sister Ellen set out to design a piece of playground equipment for disabled children. After careful research concepts were drawn up and a final design was developed. They built a working prototype of their design then tested its success using various volunteers. The paraplay can be used by people in wheelchairs and has excellent freedom of movement to work a variety of different muscle groups. Once the design was tested, it was modified with further improvements.

Genesis Energy Canterbury-Westland Science and Technology Fair

The Genesis Energy Canterbury-Westland Science and Technology Fair took place in the past fortnight with the award ceremony taking place in front of a crowd of about 450 in the Town Hall. Donna Baker of Genesis Energy presented the major awards with the premier award, which includes entry to the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair in Auckland on 6-9 December 2000, to Ellen Conner, a Year 13 student from Riccarton High School.

Ellen's investigation was noted for her methodology. She used a series of experiments to determine that temperature is the main factor that controls opening and closing in California Poppy flowers. This is unusual in that most flowers respond to light (or daylength) as a controlling mechanism. This may be an adaptation for protection against adverse weather conditions. Second in Fair went to Harrison Lim, a Year 8 student at The Cathedral Grammar School. Harrison used a variety of waste paper products to test their ability to absorb oil spills on water.

A feature of this year's fair, commented upon by both convener Gordon McNabb and Chief Judge Rachel Forrest, was the general increase in standards of entry from students; this could be related to the strengthening of student learning in science, particularly the Material World strand, detected by the recent National Education Monitoring Project.

Genesis Energy Central South Island Science & Technology Fair

The Genesis Energy Central South Island Science and Technology Fair saw 201 exhibits pack into the Caroline Bay Hall in Timaru on Wednesday, 6 September. Of these there were 155 Junior exhibits which were split into separate Year 7 and 8 classes. The number of Senior exhibits was disappointingly low after last year's increase, but the overall standard was again very high.

The overall winner and entry to the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair in Auckland went to Mark Galloway from Ashburton College for his effort, "Toothbrush Trouble". After seeing his exhibit one might think twice about some toothpastes and how you look after your toothbrush!

Second place went to Chris Brake from Ashburton Borough School for his exhibit, "Master the Disaster". Chris looked at the effectiveness of different types of bags and fillings to be used in 'sandbags' for flood protection. He was fortunate to have a flood turn up at the right time which enabled him to investigate this further.

Genesis Energy Gisborne Science & Technology Fair

One of the biggest crowds that had ever been seen at the Genesis Energy Gisborne Science & Technology Fair award ceremony turned up on Monday night.

The Chief Judge Dr Don Cooke commented that the standard was excellent this year especially from Year 7 & 8 students. However he said he would like to see more participation from senior students.

The winner who will go through to the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair in Auckland is Amanda McLean, a Year 13 students from Gisborne Girls High School. Amanda's investigation was to measure the speed of the response of the iris to different coloured lights. Her results suggested that longer wavelengths elicit a quicker response from the iris.

Congratulations to Mike Vita and the Gisborne Kiwanis for their huge effort in organising such a successful fair.

Genesis Energy Hawkes Bay Science & Technology Fair

350 people attended the award ceremony at Hastings Girls' High School on Thursday, 7 September.

Chief Judge Euan Wallace said the overall standard of exhibits was good but that there needs to be more in-depth investigation carried out by students. The Hawkes Bay region will not be sending anyone to the National Fair.

The winner of the Otago University "Hands on Science " Award went to Alana Fluit from Taradale High School. Her exhibit entitled "Back to Back" is an investigation into the weight of school bags that Form 3 students carry on their back and the effect that this has on their spine.

Leon Stembridge the co-ordinator thanked Genesis Energy for their support and also the local Kiwanis club who had taken on a major role in running this year's fair.

Genesis Energy Otago Science and Technology Fair

The cold and miserable weather did not deter over 400 proud parents and students filling the Castle Lecture Theatre at Otago University on Sunday. 10 September for the Genesis Energy Otago Science and Technology Fair prize-giving. Guest speakers included Hon. Pete Hodgson and Dame Elizabeth Hanan.

The Premier Science award went to Hayden Peter with his exhibit Baa-ttered and Bruised. Hayden collected data from the killing sheets of 9,000 sheep from farmers in Eastern Southland and, in particular, looked at bruising of the carcass. He also gathered data on how the farmers managed their flocks, e.g., size, males with females, males all together, distance sheep needed to travel to get to the freezing works. Hayden's exhibit wins entry to the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair.

The Premier Technology award was presented to Kate Hutchison with Canine Composter; she will be nominated for entry to the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair. Her exhibit involved making a composter for "doggie doos" which is childproof, retains heat to kill micro-organisms, enables the correct carbon to nitrogen ratio, and achieves the correct oxygen and water content. Kate carried out a series of developments with thorough testing and evaluation of each design.

Genesis Energy North Harbour Science & Technology Fair

The Genesis Energy North Harbour Science & Technology Fair was held last week and the prize-giving took place on Friday at the North Harbour ASB Sports Centre.

Chief Judge Sally Birsdall commented on the extremely high standard of the exhibits especially at the intermediate level. She also said that more senior students need to be encouraged to participate in future fairs.

Sarah Gempton from Murray's Bay Intermediate is the overall winner of the fair. Her exhibit entitled "Top Fabric Games" is an investigation into testing various fabrics for school sweatshirts. The 12-year-old's idea for her material-testing concept emerged from her own day-to-day dilemma with her fading Murray's Bay Intermediate sweater. She performed tests on washed and unwashed fabrics. Material including wool, polar fleece and cotton had to pass rigorous tests for fading, water retention, insulation, and water resistance. Polar fleece scored top marks.

Karen Brooks of Hibiscus Coast Intermediate School was runner up and has been nominated to attend the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair. Her exhibit entitled "Spider of the Night" is an investigation into the activities of the "two- spined spider". This involved Karen getting out of bed in the very early hours of the morning to study the habits of the spider. She has been working on this investigation for over 6 months and is involved in a programme administered by the Royal Society " Young Investigators Programme" and featured earlier this year on "What Now" with her investigation.

Genesis Energy Far North Science & Technology Fair

Kaikohe was practically a ghost town last Saturday night but the Northland College hall in Kaikohe was abuzz with about 400 students, parents and teachers attending the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair.

Mr Francis Orr, Accounts Manager at Genesis Energy, congratulated and presented certificates and prizes to participants and winners at the fair. In his speech he said that Genesis is committed to education and innovation, and has made a commitment to support the development of youth today. Genesis has also introduced a policy of employing 10% of staff as trainees and encouraging other businesses to do the same.

Erin Van Amerigen, winner of the 1999 Genesis Energy Far North Fair, talked about the opportunities that have arisen since she won the award last year and the fun that she had participating in the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair. Erin was part of a New Zealand delegation that attended the APEC 2nd Youth Festival in Singapore in August. Her advice to students was "Just go for it!"

Josh Drummond, a Year 12 student from Kerikeri High School, was the overall winner with his technology exhibit. Josh has created and trialled a device that kills ants but does not harm other animals or humans. He will travel to the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair in Auckland in December.

Thanks go to John Janssen of Kerikeri High School who put a lot of his time into the organisation of the fair and a special thank you to the judges. It could not have been an easy task to pick a winner!

Genesis Energy Wairarapa Science & Technology Fair

Daniel Mulhullond and Linton Baird, both Year 13 students from Wairarapa College, were the winners of the Genesis Energy Wairarapa Science & Technology Fair. Their investigation entitled "Hot Water" is an investigation in to why their school hot water was alkaline and they discovered that the pH was higher on Mondays than during the week. Their investigation showed this was caused by magnesium electrode in the hot water cylinder. Both students will travel to Auckland for the Genesis National Science & Technology Fair.

Kelly Clark also won a major prize for her investigation "Flameproof". Kelly has investigated and made a flameproofing product. This investigation was an extension of what she had exhibited last year at the Genesis Energy National Science & Technology Fair.

There was a big increase in the exhibitors at a 5th, 6th and 7th year level and over 200 exhibits were on display at the award ceremony.

Genesis Energy Southland Science and Technology Fair

Almost 300 exhibits were displayed in the Southland Museum and Art gallery from 22 to 28 August. A number of exhibits had a definite regional flavour, e.g., 'Frozen feet' determined the best socks to wear in gumboots.

The premier winner this year was Leanna Frame of Southland Girls High School with 'Soluble Aluminium Species in Southern Southland Soils'. Leanna will attend the Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair in Auckland in December.

Last year's Genesis Energy National Science and Technology Fair exhibitor from Southland, James Canny, designed and built a home-away- from-home, complete with solar panels to charge up his cell phone, which he can tow behind his bike.

Science and Technology Fairs 2000