Sri Lankan students triumph at Intel ISEF 2016
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Winners
A Sri Lankan team secured five awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2016, world’s largest high school science research competition, which took place in Phoenix, Arizona recently. For the excellence shown in the area of embedded systems, Abishekh Gomes from Belvoir College International, Colombo won a grand award and two special awards for his wearable device which translates American Sign Language into English. Chamindu Jayasanka from Hanwella Rajasinghe Central College and P.M. Lochana Piyumantha from Madampe Senanayake Central College also received two special awards for their outstanding innovative and research skills, Intel Colombo said in a media release.
Abishekh received a third place grand award of US$1,000 for his project in the Embedded Systems category at the Intel ISEF Grand Awards Ceremony. He also won a special award of $2,000 from Synaptics Organisation in USA and $500 from the Patent and Trademark Office Society of the United States. Chamindu’s ‘Modified and Adjustable Crutches’ project won a special award of $1,000 from the Patent and Trademark Office Society of the US for his outstanding originality and clarity in science and technology. The Nano technology-based solution for resistant endometrial cancer cells from Lochana won a special award of $1,000 from Qatar Foundation for the excellence he showed in human life sciences.
The three finalists were chosen from the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2016, the affiliated fair in Sri Lanka for Intel ISEF which is conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Education. Han Jie (Austin) Wang, 18, of Vancouver, Canada, was the recipient of the first place Gordon E. Moore Award and $75,000 for developing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that more efficiently convert organic waste into electricity. Wang identified specific genes in genetically enhanced E. coli bacteria that enabled them to generate power efficiently. The 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair featured more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 419 affiliate fairs in 77 countries, regions and territories.