Introducing the winners of SAEON’s Special Awards at the Eskom Expo

The young people of today are the leaders of tomorrow, but they also need to be the problem solvers of the challenges they are likely to face.

Issues such as energy challenges, climate change and the scarcity of resources require a scientific approach with unique and creative solutions to drive change and improve our current situation. A generation of youths who are well-grounded in scientific knowledge is crucial in ensuring the continued survival of our planet as we know it, and it is at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists that South Africa’s learners get an opportunity to prove that they are capable of meeting these challenges.

Mitch Lovemore, a Grade 7 learner from the Eastern Cape won a SAEON Special Award for his project Are flies our friends? SAEON’s Sibongile Mokoena (left) with Ntsikelelo Charles, a Grade 11 learner from the Grahamstown Region, who won a SAEON Special Award for his project entitled Investigating cheap, accessible and non-harmful ways to recycle grey water for crop irrigation

This year 878 learners from various schools across South Africa were selected as finalists for the 33^rd Annual Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair. The standard of entries into the Expo was high. The projects covered a wide variety of topics with great depth, demonstrating scientific knowledge and skills. Science projects entered by the learners are assessed according to internationally accepted ethics and standards.

The Science Expo, hosted by the Department of Science and Technology in partnership with Eskom, aims to encourage young people to take an interest in careers in science and maths. Eskom Group Executive of Sustainability and Expo champion, Dr Steve Lennon, said that learners were encouraged to explore a variety of careers open in the field of science, technology, engineering, maths and innovation (STEMI), while also developing problem-solving skills.

SAEON Special Awards

Every year, SAEON contributes to the Expo by judging those projects that fit in with the SAEON mandate (long-term observations and ecosystem change studies) and giving special awards to the winners in this group.

The SAEON Special Award for Best Project in Environmental Monitoring is intended as encouragement for the learners to pursue their interest in environmental observations. Prizes are selected to assist in this purpose, consisting of a pair of binoculars and a copy of SAEON’s excellent book, Observing Environmental Change in South Africa, as well as a framed certificate.

The SAEON Award in the junior category (Grade 6-7) went to Mitch Lovemore, a Grade 7 learner from the Eastern Cape for his project, Are flies our friends? Mitch also won a silver medal in the overall Eskom Expo. Read the letter Mitch wrote to thank SAEON for the award.

Jacques Pretorius, a learner from the Northern Gauteng Region won the SAEON Special Award in the Grade 8-9 Category for his project entitled Tropical storms’ contribution to Anthrax outbreaks. Jacques also won a gold medal in the Eskom Expo and the Best Project Award in the Grade 8-9 Category.

Jacques Pretorius, a learner from the Northern Gauteng Region won the SAEON Special Award in the Grade 8-9 Category for his project entitled Tropical storms’ contribution to Anthrax outbreaks