soil absorbency ? How can we monitor and reduce water flow rate ?
Apart from the opportunity to meet other learners from different schools throughout the Cape , there were exhibitors from organisations like the Department of Water Affairs , the University of Cape Town ( UCT ) Chemistry Department , and the Centre for High Performance Computing to entertain learners , giving them glimpses into exciting careers in science .
Many projects also dealt with an essential subject for on-going food security in our country - the impact of drought - such as the conservation of water , as well as techniques for preventing evaporation and water wastage . Hussein Semvua and Zainul Africa ’ s invention , The Green Tap – a grey-water system that collects water as it drains from the basin and pumps it to the toilet cistern to flush the toilet – is one such solution .
Talking about how important expos like this are in dealing with large-scale challenges like drought , Luke Smith , a grade 10 learner from Rondebosch Boys High says , “ Doing the research for a project , you see the numbers , which show you how bad the situation actually is . And when you understand that , you find solutions .”
Nontsikelelo Dyasi , a judge at the Expo and a Masters student in Chemical Engineering at UCT , believes that we have to keep coming back to the question : Is our learning and knowledge addressing the needs of society ? Is it bettering the lives of those around us ? “ We need to create that worldview for children ,” she says , “ and the Expo helps pull this message through from a young age .” The award for the best primary school project – “ A Grey-t Way to Save Water ” – went to Alex Marshall , a grade 6 learner from the International School of Cape Town , reflecting the importance of this theme .
Tru-Cape ’ s Marketing Director , Conrad Fick , said the company ’ s support for this event was in line with their commitment to supporting information sharing and quality scientific education which they also do with a global education outreach . “ Tru-Cape and our growers know that on-going food security is something which requires the most up-to-date scientific thinking and knowledge and Tru-Cape applauds initiatives such as this one that encourages and rewards the next generation of scientists .”
AgriKultuur | AgriCulture
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