Two learners from the Western Cape won two medals at an International Science Fair. Western Cape Education MEC, David Maynier has lauded the learners who recently won the 2 medals. The learners are 17-year-old Thiedu Du Preez from Vredenburg High School and 17-year-old Aadil Dawood from Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town.
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Two learners from the Western Cape win 2 medals at an International Science Fair
Maynier says he is proud as they brought home 2 medals from the Izmir International Innovation Science Energy Engineering Fair (IISEEF) in Türkiye.
He said, “Correct the problem, and you’ll see that problems can be easily fixed through science.”
Du Preez was awarded a Silver medal for his project, ‘Seal to Heal: Economical natural alternatives for wound healing’. The objective of the project was to identify a formulation of natural products that can serve as a viable alternative to chemical solutions for sealing wounds and providing protection against harmful infections.
Du Preez added, “The world needs a new generation of scientists with creative minds to solve problems based on research skills, which is a new way of thinking.”
Meanwhile, the young scientist has urged his peers to develop a passion for science, mathematics, and engineering, and go out and explore everyday problems in life.
Economical natural alternatives for wound healing
Dawood from Bishops was awarded a Bronze medal at the IISEEF, for the project, “‘Spectro-metrical analysis of urinary metabolic by-products forming as a result of exercise’. It aims to bring an understanding how exercising impacts the human body at the molecular level by analysing urine metabolites.
Dawood said, “It feels incredible to win a bronze medal at the IISEEF. Being part of such an event is something I’ll always remember. The IISEEF was a lot of fun.”
The MEC said this is an outstanding achievement in the face of stiff international competition. He says their innovative ideas wowed the judges and showed great potential for application in the future.
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How exercising impacts the human body
Maynier added, that he is so proud of them and that he looks forward to what these young scientists will go on to achieve in the future.
Dawood elaborated, “Meeting people from different countries and sharing ideas was inspiring.”
The fair hosted more than 143 young scientists from 10 countries. It saw innovative research projects showcased across various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) categories such as Physics, Biology, and more.
