Science and Technology Fairs
Environment Canterbury staff judge exhibits in the special category of Resource Management in the Science and Technology fairs held in Christchurch and Timaru. Awards are given to students whose exhibits take an innovative investigative approach to solving an environmental issue facing Canterbury.
There are two categories: Years 7-8 and Years 9-13.
Prizes: Winning exhibitors receive $1000 for their school.
Students receive:
- $400 1st place
- $150 2nd place
- $80 3rd place
Senior students [Years 12 and 13] are also offered work experience.
Download the 2009 Science and Technology fair poster (pdf 413 kB)
Check out our Living Here Kids pages about science
Lincoln University School's Science and Technology Fair (Christchurch)
Junior (Years 7-8)
First Emma Clucas Cobham Intermediate
'Water-less washing machine'
Emma worked out a way for top-loading washing machines to reuse rinse water. Her design used a computer chip for programming and a container which would sit next to the machine to collect the reusable water. Her aim is that cities like Christchurch should minimise water use in the home to avoid overtaxing our underground aquifers.
Second equal
Joe Coughlan and Jared Van - Vianen
Kirkwood Intermediate
'Honey I need a shower, crank up the compost!'
Jeremy Penrose
Cobham Intermediate
'Watts in our Waste Water?'
Third
Kusal Ekanayake
Oaklands School
'Influence of Effluent'
Senior winners (Years 9-13)
First Shankari Ganeshan
Linwood High School
'Microbial Fuel Cells'
People may have heard of sewage being reused to create biofuels. Shankari isolated a black bacterial substance from sewage samples to power a circuit and potentially create a clean, renewable source of power. “It produces no toxicity and it keeps on going. After two days, the circuit was still running,” she says. Her idea combines biology, physics and chemistry, so it is no surprise she is hoping to pursue a career as a doctor starting her health sciences degree at Otago University next year.
Second
Annette Carshalton
Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti
'Dairies vs Vineyards'
Third
Annie Broughton
Lincoln High School
'Empty Seats'
Find out further information on the Lincoln Fair website.
Sanford Science and Technology Fair (Timaru)
Junior (Years 7-8)
First
Sophie Chambers and Emily Davies-Martin
Gleniti School
'Bag yourself a better environment'
An inspirational idea to help supermarket shoppers remember their reusable bags won two Timaru 12-year-olds a first prize from Environment Canterbury at Timaru’s Sanford Central South Island Science and Technology Fair.
The students surveyed shoppers about their shopping bag use and were pleased to find that more than 85 per cent remembered to take their reusable ones into the supermarket.
But they also learned that many people still regularly forgot and left them in the car or at home. So they came up with the idea of a brightly coloured “Got Me” key ring and a sticker as a reminder. Not only did their clever thinking lead to a first prize from Environment Canterbury, but it has also attracted the interest of a major supermarket chain.
Second
Libby Davenport and Laura Cockroft
St Joseph's School
'Hitching a ride'
Third
Grace Fisher and Sarah Woodley
Geraldine High School
'Happy Waterways at Happibank'
Senior winners (Years 9-13)
First
Samantha Olley
Craighead Diocesan School
'Green roofs are good'
Samantha’s project “Green Roofs are Good” was inspired by finding out that her aunt in the Faroe Islands off the coast of Denmark had a house with a turf roof.
“Green roofs are quite traditional there and I was curious to find out why. I found out that some of the benefits are better heat and sound insulation and stormwater retention.”
Samantha would like to see greater community awareness of the advantages of green roofs and would also be keen to see more construction companies prepared to install them.
Second
Leah Hollamby
Craighead Diocesan School
'Stop, Think, Sort'
Third
Danielle Ashby-Coventry
Craighead Diocesan School
'Precious Water – waste not want not'
The Wrybill Trophy
Each year, the winners of the Environment Canterbury School Award category present their exhibits to Councillors at Environment Canterbury, Christchurch. The overall winner is awarded the Wrybill Trophy, the best of the best!
Wrybill Trophy winner 2009
Samantha Olley
Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru
The top junior and senior Environment Canterbury winners at the Christchurch and Timaru science and technology fairs, held in September 2009, are eligible for the Wrybill award. Three of the finalists presented to Councillors at a workshop in Christchurch.
The judge, Dr Grant McKenzie, of Lincoln University, said he was impressed at the excellence shown by Samantha, 14, who explored an environmental issue and came up with a workable solution.
Samantha’s project “Green Roofs are Good” was inspired by finding out that her aunt in the Faroe Islands, governed by Denmark, between Scotland and Iceland, had a house with a turf roof.
“Green roofs are quite traditional there and I was curious to find out why. I found out that some of the benefits are better heat and sound insulation and stormwater retention.”
Samantha would like to see greater community awareness of the advantages of green roofs and would also be keen to see more construction companies prepared to install them.
Youth Leadership for Sustainability Awards
Encouraging the next generation of sustainability leadership.
These awards are sponsored in partnership with Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu.
The Youth Leadership for Sustainability (YLS) award has two categories - individual and group. Entries are invited from Canterbury secondary school students who have been making a difference in the community, at school or in their own household.
We are looking for individuals and groups who, through their own or school/ organisational initiatives, have done something positive towards making Canterbury a great place to live.
Eligibility:
Category – Individual: Any student in Years 12-13 living in Canterbury who has been making a difference and is willing to present or display their own unique project.
Category – Group: Any group of 13-18 year olds within Canterbury who have worked on a sustainability initiative either within school or beyond (this can be in collaboration with a community organisation).
Information sheet (pdf 306 kB)
Brochure (pdf 463 kB)
Poster (pdf 249 kB)
Application forms (pdf 367 kB)
Youth Environment Forum – The Sir Peter Blake Trust Award
Annually three students (aged 15-18) from Canterbury are selected from a pool of applicants to represent the region at the 4 day hui in Wellington. There they will engage in workshops and activities designed to inspire them and build their leadership capabilities.
The dates for the 2010 hui are April 11-15th.
Interested young people are asked to apply in writing with supporting references to Paul: paul.despa@ecan.govt.nz 03 353 9737 by Monday 1st March 2010.
Youth Environment Forum 2010 information and application form (pdf 246 kB)
Further information can be found here:
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/withyou/youth/ or http://www.sirpeterblaketrust.org/environment/youth_environment_forum/