The Top three winning learners and their schools are as follows:
1st place – Kayden Biernacki (Parklands College)
Testing a prototype device to help distracted students focus better in class using vibration alerts.
2nd place – Aaliyah Sablay (Star College)
Innovative solutions to preventing street light cable theft, including during load-shedding, and enhancing energy efficiency of street light networks.
3rd place – David Lewis and Noah McNab (Bishops Diocesan College)
Carbon capture method to combat climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere and turning the by-product of this process into soap.
Mayor’s Choice Award – Kwezi Maniwe, Lumi Folo and Khanyisa Tamesi (Centre Of Science And Technology)
Sustainable farming techniques for small-scale farmers, including alternatives to harmful synthetic fertilisers and water harvesting.
‘We were extremely impressed with the innovative thinking on display at the very first Mayor’s Science and Innovation Fair for Grade 8 –11 learners. Congratulations to the bright young minds who took home prizes, and to all schools and learners who contributed their innovative projects addressing real-world challenges.
‘We look forward to next year’s fair as we continue on our mission to inspire the city’s youth to develop their creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
‘We want Cape Town to be known as the leading hub of science and innovation on the African continent – we want our city to become synonymous with technological advancement and resourceful innovation in solving society’s challenges.
‘We want our city to stand at the forefront of global progress when it comes to solving challenges in energy, sustainability, transport, food security, water security, housing, manufacturing, medicine, education and many more fields.
‘And for us to do that, we will need a whole generation of innovators and problem solvers – people who know how to embrace new technology, people who aren’t constricted by years and years of doing things the same way, people who have a drive to make a difference,’ said Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.
