2014 BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards winners announced

The winners of the 2014 BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards were announced last week in Melbourne by the Chief Executive Officer of BHP Billiton, Andrew Mackenzie, and CSIRO Chief Executive, Megan Clark.

The school science awards have been running since 1981. They are managed by CSIRO and are a partnership between BHP Billiton, CSIRO and the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA). The awards are also supported by Intel.

The awards winners were as follows:

Investigations

First place - Conroy Cheers, Caulfield Grammar School, ‘The effects of texting on driving safety’

The use of mobile phones while driving is an illegal, dangerous, yet common activity. Cheers developed a method by which the risks of texting while driving could be measured. He employed the use of a driving simulator and hands-free and hands-on texting applications.

Second place - Lewis Nitschinsk, Queensland Academy for Health Sciences, ‘The optimal reclamation point of phosphate from waste water’

Phosphorous is a commonly used chemical in the production of industrial products. Nitschinsk investigated the optimal reclamation point of phosphate from the water from a treatment facility of a factory through chemical precipitation. Results indicated that the highest percentage reclamation was in the untreated water sample.

Third place - Benjamin Coxon, Trinity Anglican School, ‘Force absorption capacity of sand’

To improve the safety of playgrounds, Coxon investigated the suitability of sand as a playground surface. His results determined the depth and type of sand that should be used for maximum absorption and safety.

Engineering

First place - Ethan Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School, ‘SMART: Stroke management with augmented reality technology’

Butson created a camera-based augmented reality system that aims to aid the recovery and increase the safety of stroke patients. By manipulating what they can see, a clearer visual picture is provided to the patient.

Second place - Viney Kumar, Knox Grammar School, ‘The PART program: A signalling system for emergency vehicles’

Kumar’s PART (Police and Ambulances Regulating Traffic) program is a signalling system for emergency vehicles. It will supplement the current sirens and lights systems which have limitations in clearing traffic. This will improve response times, potentially saving lives, property and bushland.

Third place - Jake Coppinger, Gungahlin College, ‘Swirlesque: A new form of human-computer interaction’

Coppinger developed the Swirlesque glove - a new form of human-computer interaction. It recognises natural hand gestures and performs actions, communicating through smartphone apps. For example, a hand gesture performed while wearing the glove could be used to turn a light on.

The Swirlesque glove in action. Credit: Jake Coppinger.

Teacher

2014 National Winner - Judith Sise, Lyndale Greens Primary School

As the winner, science teacher Sise will accompany the students to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in the USA. Only 1600 winners of local, regional, state and national competitions are invited to participate in the week-long event, where they will compete for more than US$4 million in awards and scholarships.