A student science project that developed an electricity-free cooling system to prevent food waste won the prestigious Irish Aid backed ‘Science for Development Award’, at this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.
Students Jona Garcia, Claudine Mulihano and Iman Shittu from St. Louis Secondary School in Dundalk won the award for their project: ‘A renewable and electricity-free cooling system for food refrigeration that can combat world hunger.’ The St Louis students, whose teacher is Ms Orla Muldoon, also received a 2nd placed prize at the annual science fair in the Senior Biological & Ecological category.
Commending the winners, Minister for Overseas Development Aid and the Diaspora, Colm Brophy T.D. said that the winning project was driven by sunlight and saltwater, and could be of huge benefit in communities that had limited, or no access to electricity.
“Winning this year’s Science for Development Award is particularly impressive, given the remarkably high standard of entries,’ Minister Brophy said. Competition for the prize was particularly high, in 2022, he said, and he applauded all the students who had designed entries to the BTYSTE that might have an application in least developed countries.
“It is wonderful to see so many young people using science to help create a better and more sustainable world,” he said.
The winners receive a €6,000 bursary to undertake a fact-finding and field testing visit together with Self Help Africa. The field trip for the 2022 winners will take place at a time when public health advice is that it is safe to travel.
‘Jona, Claudine and Iman are to be commended for designing a project that identifies the enormous challenge of food waste in countries where people live without electricity. By applying science to this problem, they came up with a simple but innovative way that this issue could be tackled”, said Self Help Africa’s Global Citizenship Education co-ordinator Dorothy Jacob.
“The Science for Development Award marks its 17th year in 2022. To find out more about the award visit: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/education/science-for-development/
