Run by the Science Teachers’ Association of NSW, the awards see students across the state compete for prizes in the categories of working scientifically, working technologically and working mathematically.

School-age children from Kindergarten to Year 12 can submit any kind of scientific investigation or design, or construct a working model of an innovative device or application.

Georgia Batson’s winning entry for helping elderly people take out the trash.

AARNet is delighted to be involved with the awards, which play an important role in helping encourage future generations of scientists and engineers.

One project in each category—and for each age group—was awarded an AARNet sponsored prize for their use of electronic communications to solve a problem.

AARNet’s Christine Le was a judge at the awards—a tough job, thanks to the quality of the entries: “The standards were so high; it’s easy to underestimate what young people are capable of when it comes to using technology and electronic communications,” she said.

AARNet extends its congratulations to all the Young Scientist Awards winners, in particular to the following winners of the AARNet Electronic Communications awards:

Group K-6

• Seraphim Haryjanto: “Solar Panel”
• Willian Byon: “Bedfall preventing alarm”
• Page Delaney: “How Fast a Plant Grows Under Different Coloured Lights”
• Ethan Humprey: “Are Bananas Radioactive?”
• Ellis Merret, Tawhid Rahman & Thomas Reid: “Investigating Connections in Increasing Obesity Rates and the Current Solution of Fitnes Tracking devices”

• Seraphim Haryjanto’s prize winning entry depicting solar powered streetlights.

  Calum Kennedy: “Our Ultrasound Environment”

Group 7-12

• Kate Carey: “Electromagnetic window”
• Georgia Batson: “Bin-go”
• Alethia Yosaviera: “Improving Bimanual Coordination through the development of a computer game”
• Melissa Denizli: “A Seat for you”
• Lauren McGrath-Wild: “Noise Cancellation Tiles”
• Sophie Ma: “The Effect of Different Music Tempos on the Heart Rate and Blood Pressure of adolescent Musicians and Non-Musicians”

The major winning entries from the Young Scientist Awards can progress to the national BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards.

Image: AARNet Network Engineer Christine Le with one of the 12 AARNet Award recipients at the STANSW STEM Young Scientists Awards gala held at the University of Wollongong.