The most unusual children’s ideas can turn into real research projects, which can bring their creators glory, money and potential future success. On
ADVERTISEMENTThe most unusual children’s ideas can turn into real research projects, which can bring their creators glory, money and potential future success.
On September 22, Google announced the winners of its fifth annual Google Science Fair, the web giant’s online science contest for teen researchers from around the world. Some 22 finalists aged 13 to 18 years were honoured at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California.
Standing ovation for 22 incredible young scientists
googlescifair</a> finals tonight!!! <a href="http://t.co/biKIKrhLI4">pic.twitter.com/biKIKrhLI4</a></p>— Kate McGregor (KatieMcGregor) September 22, 2015
Google puts on the science fair each year with the goal of inspiring scientific curiosity and exploration among young people. The theme this year: “It’s your turn to change the world”.
In 2015, 22 young scientists from around the world have been showing off their science projects. In return for reaching the final selection, they win a stay in the Lego design studios in Denmark, a tour of Virgin Galactic in California or a scientific expedition to the Galapagos islands with National Geographic. The global finalists were drawn from thousands of entries submitted online by students in more than 100 countries. The winner receives scholarship funding worth $50,000 scholarship funding.
Here are highlights from this year's batch of projects
Vaxxwagon is the invention of Anurudh Ganesan, a 15-year-old boy from India. He developed a self-powered solution that could save lives.
The Vaxxwagon is a special refrigeration unit which works without electricity and ice. Energy is produced when the “trolley” pulled by people or animals. Anurudh Ganesan says Vaxxwagon is able to maintain a temperature of two to eight degrees Celsius.
Ganesan was inspired to make Vaxxwagon because once a child he fell ill and was faced with a similar problem. “My grandparents carried me nearly 10 miles to have me vaccinated, only to find out when they arrived that the vaccinations were no longer effective. I was fortunate. For many, that trek to be vaccinated is a matter of life and death”, says Anurudh Ganesan in the summary of his project.
The invention will be indispensable for the delivery of vaccines to remote areas of third world countries. A patent application has already been submitted.
Bot2karot, pronounced botte de carrotte [bunch of carrots] is a robot gardener invented by 14-year-old French schoolboy Eliott Sarrey.
This robot “knows hoeing, watering, transplanting, drill holes” for you, and can be controlled via an application on a smartphone. In short, a true gardener assistant.
RevUp is software created by Girish Kumar, 17, from Singapore.
This creation allows the analysis any text, immediately generates quiz. With RevUP people can learn without visual aids and books with exercises. You need just to copy the electronic text, and given the program the algorithm will do the rest.
And the Grand Prize goes to...
Olivia Hallisey, a 16-year-old from the United States, won Google Science Fair’s top prize – $50,000 scholarship funding. The teen who is currently entering her junior year at Greenwich High School in Connecticut, created a portable, inexpensive diagnostic test for Ebola that doesn’t require refrigeration.
Congrats 16 y.o. Olivia Hallisey who won
GoogleSciFair</a> for rapid <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ebola?src=hash">#Ebola</a> test at room temp!<a href="https://twitter.com/jackandraka">jackandrakapic.twitter.com/pCE9fmvdKZ— Ruth Ann Crystal, MD (@CatchTheBaby) 22 Septembre 2015
Google video explaining the competition