2017 Past Winning Projects – STANSW Young Scientist Awards

We are most thankful for these students who have given their consent for their projects to be accessible for anyone to view. As prizewinners, these projects are exemplars for what a good project looks like. The majority of these projects satisfied the Level 5 criteria on their respective Judging Rubrics, which was the top level obtainable in 2017.

For teachers, parents and students new to science projects, this is the best resource you will ever find. There is no set formula for setting out a project, however, following the order of one or two of these projects is the best way to start.

Finally, don’t be overawed by the standard of some of these projects. Most of these students started their projects with a similar feeling, however, as they got going and started meeting the different criteria one by one, they then quickly realized that any student is capable of producing a top level project.

SECTION 1 – CATEGORY PRIZES

Category: MANSW Working Mathematically Awards

Years K-2

Equal 1^st

Kain Gibson, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Does the Length of TV Advertisements change during different parts of the Day? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Scott Manley, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School Engadine, How can I go faster on my Skis? report

Equal 1^st

Hannah Yap, Abbotsleigh Junior School, Do Aussie Artists Make Or Break Mathematical Rules, report logbook

Years 3-6

Equal 1^st

Genna Bauder, Natalie Lau and Nihira More, Mona Vale Public School, Creativity, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Alyssa Buda and Chloe Walker, PLC Sydney, An Investigation Into The Effect of Music on the Sense of Touch For Ten Year Old Girls and on Their Ability to Concentrate, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Indiya Brock, Lauren Brown and Caitlin Walley, Mona Vale Public School, At what age do children in primary school (5-12) get anxiety? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Hannah McCutcheon, Castle Cove Public School, How to make Viscoelastic gel slime stretchier, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Akira Naumovski and Kazuma Phillips, Wollongong Public School, Powering the world with sugar, report

Equal 1^st

Emma Yap, Abbotsleigh Junior School, Which Type of Moisturisers Retain The Most Water, report logbook

Years 7-9

1^st

Kira Macarthur, Homeschool-Menai, Plant eHealth, summary

2^nd

Thomas Schanzer, Sydney Boys High School, Galilean Cannon, report logbook

3^rd

Ina Curic, Sydney Girls High School, Assessing the quantity of plastics present on two given beaches over time, summary

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

2^nd

Bilge Zohre, Redeemer Baptist School, Cooking the Perfect Steak Using Real Science, report logbook

3^rd

Vanessa Lin, PLC Sydney, Music Matters – Using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to determine the quality of sound produced by differently priced cellos, report logbook

Category: IIATE Models and Innovation Awards

Years K-2

Equal 1^st

Hannah Chalmers, PLC Sydney, My Solar Alarm, folio

Equal 1^st

Matthew Dugan, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, The Leaf Tramper, folio video

Equal 1^st

Brendan Li & Oscar Fairhurst, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, Stair Climbing Wheel-chair, poster video

Years 3-6

Equal 1^st

William Byron, Balgowlah Heights Public School, e-Nabled robot, folio video

Equal 1^st

Henry Goben, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, OCAS – Operation Code a Sphero, folio poster video

Equal 1^st

Luke Albrecht, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Automatic Dog Feeder, folio video

Equal 1^st

James Napoli, Glenhaven Public School, Fish Bite Light, folio video

Equal 1^st

Lucas Negro, Glenhaven Public School, The Ultimate Bush Fire Proof Eco-Cool House, report video

Equal 1^st

Denby Stead, MET School Wagga Wagga, Safe Cherry Picker, folio video

Arabella Hunt & Veronica Bedingfield, Loreto Kirribilli, Water 4 life, folio video

Alexander Dunn, Jonathan Morano & Michael Riddell, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, GRASS – Gutter Reactive Advanced Specialised Systems, summary

Charlie Stammers, Hannes Liu & Austin McCarroll, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, Optimus Mine, folio poster video

Dylan Veljanovski, St Francis Xavier’s Catholic Primary School, Cooling Vest, folio video

Shray Sinha, Niels Hansen & Andrew Yang, Lindfield East Public School, Levitation – Future of Trains, folio video

Georgia Currie, Loreto Kirribilli, EAD – Elderly Assistant Device, folio video

Years 7-9

1^st

Kira Macarthur, Homeschool-Menai, Plant eHealth, summary

2^nd

Eliza Martin, PLC Sydney, EMMA: The Electromagnetic Mobility Assistor, folio video

3^rd

Helena Yan, Meriden School, Sleeper, folio video

Chelsea Stead, MET School Wagga Wagga, Ultimate Shopping Trolley, folio report

Angela Shan, Meriden School, Automated Blind Opener with Light and Temperature Sensors, folio video

Madeleine Whip, Meriden School, Anty-Nix Picnic Blanket, folio video

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Oliver Nicholls, Barker College, Autonomous robotic window cleaner for commercial buildings, summary

2^nd

Lachlan Bolton, Redeemer Baptist School, Future Board, folio video

3^rd

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

Lily Yang, Meriden School, Hydrocyclonic Microplastic Separator, folio video

Jordan Hood, Inaburra School, Life Support in a Blanket, folio video

Adithya Manoj, Redeemer Baptist School, I spy with my little eye …, folio video

Tilda Stafford, Meriden School, Moss Substrate Panel, folio video

Georgia Batson, Meriden School, Heluminator, folio video

Callum Predavec, Mosman High School, Please Fix, folio video

Shayne Crawshaw, MET School Goulburn , Research, Design, Construction & Testing of Carbon Heated Piping Systems For Various Industrial Applications, folio video

Category: Scientific Investigations

Years K-2

Equal 1^st

Will McKenzie, Dubbo South Public School, How Pointy is your Rocket’s Nose? report & logbook

Equal 1^st

Oscar Fairhurst, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, Worms Like to Live in The Dark, report & logbook

Equal 1^st

Sam McCutcheon, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Weight Loss of Chickens Eggs Over Time, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Scott Manley, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, How can I go faster on my Skis? report

Equal 1^st

Tristan Humphrey, Carlingford Public School, Can you kill a usb drive with static electricity? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Hannah Yap, Abbotsleigh Junior School, Do Aussie Artists Make Or Break Mathematical Rules, report logbook

Years 3-6

Equal 1^st

Akira Naumovski and Kazuma Phillips, Wollongong Public School, Powering the world with sugar, report

Equal 1^st

Alexandra Lawrence, Josie Burrowes & Bridie Brennan, Mona Vale Public School, What is the reason for the gender imbalance in the Northern Beaches OC class? summary

Equal 1^st

Asmita Kaur, Ashley Uidam & Sria Gurie, Crestwood Public School, Who Reacts Faster, Children or Adults? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Nicholas Hubbard, Castle Cove Public School, Does fabric softener make sleepwear more flammable? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Rohan Rainier, Castle Cove Public School, Effect of distractions on reaction times, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Mia Harrison, Castle Cove Public School, What lamination pattern makes planks the strongest? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Josh Hayes & Alexandra Jones, St. Brigid’s Gwynneville, Does Compost, Fertilizer and Manure Really Matter? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Gus Opie, Castle Cove Public School, The right environment for biodegradable plastic bags, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Philippa Kennard, Oatley West Public School, Discovering Whether Different Suburbs Prefer Different Breeds of Dogs, workbook sample report video

Equal 1^st

Emma Wood, Castle Cove Public School, Sleep v/s Preheat: Is preheating a thermos worth the effort? report & logbook

Equal 1^st

Kyle George, Cate Horsfall & Kate Nicholl, Gib Gate, Fabulous Fabrics – Effect of Fabric on Rate of Water Absorption, report & logbook

Equal 1^st

Charlotte So, Saskia O’Connell & Noa Blum, Drummoyne Public School, The Beanbag Project, report & logbook

Category: Scientific Investigations – Biology

Years 7-9

1^st

Jonathan Woodcock, Shore School, The impact of reward in a game on an individual’s likelihood to lie, report logbook

2^nd

Maria Mangoulias, Sydney Girls High School, I Spy E. coli, report & logbook

3^rd

Clare Spicer, Meriden School, The effect of spices on bacterial growth, report logbook

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Gilana Behan, Redeemer Baptist School, Are Butterfly Pupae Scared of Heights? report logbook

2^nd

Miriam Poyitt, Redeemer Baptist School, Flavour Fix – enhancing quality of life for enteral feeding patients, report logbook

3^rd

Taylor Chan, PLC Sydney, Going Green as You Clean – comparing the effects of eco-friendly detergents and conventional detergents on marine organisms, report logbook

Category: Scientific Investigations – Chemistry

Years 7-9

1^st

Freja Newman, Meriden School, Nitrate, phosphate and pH levels in Sydney waters, report & logbook

2^nd

Justin Cheung, Angel Senthilnathan & Calvin Xu, Fort Street High School, The effect of different pill coatings on the time taken for paracetamol to dissolve in the digestive tract, report logbook

3^rd

Rayanne Haidar, Sydney Girls High School, Can natural plant debris purify our drinking water? report logbook

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Aniruddh Chennapragada, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Investigating the Carbonisation and Activation of Banana Peels for Applications in Batteries, summary

2^nd

3^rd

Isaac Selvey, O’Connor Catholic College, Ethanol to Ethanoic Acid, report

Category: Scientific Investigations – Earth and Environmental Science

Years 7-9

1^st

Ina Curic, Sydney Girls High School, Assessing the quantity of plastics present on two given beaches over time, summary

2^nd

Liyang Yu, Meriden School, Sulphur Dioxide and Soil pH, report logbook

3^rd

Rena Tang, Meriden School, Global Worming: the solution or complication to Global Warming, report logbook

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

2^nd

Minh Nga Nguyen, Sydney Girls High School, Recycling waste into biochar: a sustainable wastewater filter and fertiliser for the agricultural industry, report

3^rd

Eleanor Clifton-Bligh, PLC Sydney, Meeting a Challenge of Climate Change: Water Penetration in Soil, report logbook

Category: Scientific Investigations – Physics

Years 7-9

1^st

Eliza Martin, PLC Sydney, EMMA: The Electromagnetic Mobility Assistor, folio logbook video

2^nd

Thomas Schanzer, Sydney Boys High School, Galilean Cannon, report logbook

3^rd

Sariena Ye, James Ruse Agricultural High School, The effect of the height of towers on the load that a suspension bridge can support, report logbook

Yrs 10-12

1^st

Angeni Bai, PLC Sydney, Batteries and Heat, report logbook

2^nd

Ruier Xue, PLC Sydney, Flood Alert! The best type of wall to defend floods, report logbook

3^rd

Frederick Krisman, Marist College North Shore, Spectralite, summary

SECTION 2 – STANSW MOST PROMISING AWARDS

Years K-6

Equal 1^st

Dean Chapman, St Marys Primary School Grafton, Excellent Egg Experiment, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Madeline Fay, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, What effects do different drinks have on teeth? report

Equal 1^st

Jake Fisher, Castle Cove Public School, Soapy Seeds, report logbook

Years 7-12

Equal 1^st

Jordan Hood, Inaburra School, Life Support in a Blanket, folio video

Equal 1^st

Ben Sinclair, Shore School, The Effects of Different Bicep Muscle Strengthening Workout Techniques on Strength Improvement and Muscle Size Growth, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Kaitlyn Kong, Hornsby Girls High School, How does Food Affect Heart Rate before, during, and after Exercise, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Lila Moore, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, Platypus of the Brogo River System, NSW – Riparian vegetation links to population status, report logbook

SECTION 3 – SPONSOR AWARDS

Splash Into… Young Marine Scientist Award – For a primary school entry that explores the marine world

Years K-6

Equal 1^st

Eloise Boys, Castle Cove Public School, Habitat use by birds on a rocky shore, report logbook

RACI Chemistry Encouragement Awards – Awarded to students who demonstrate ability, skill and promise for chemistry

Years K-6

1^st

Nicholas Hubbard, Castle Cove Public School, Does fabric softener make sleepwear more flammable? report logbook

Years 7-12

1^st

Aniruddh Chennapragada, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Investigating the Carbonisation and Activation of Banana Peels for Applications in Batteries, summary

Freja Newman, Meriden School, Nitrate, phosphate and pH levels in Sydney waters, report & logbook

NMI Measurement Awards – Awarded to entries in the category of Scientific Investigations that demonstrate an excellent understanding of measurement

Years K-12

1^st

Vanessa Lin, PLC Sydney, Music Matters – Using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to determine the quality of sound produced by differently priced cellos, report logbook

2^nd

Nicholas Hubbard, Castle Cove Public School, Does fabric softener make sleepwear more flammable? report logbook

NMI Measurement Awards – Awarded to entries in the category of Models and Innovations that demonstrate an excellent understanding of measurement

Years K-12

1^st

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

2^nd

Kira Macarthur, Homeschool-Menai, Plant eHealth, summary

NMI Measurement Awards – Awarded to entries in the category of Working Mathematically that demonstrate an excellent understanding of measurement

Years K-12

1^st

Bilge Zohre, Redeemer Baptist School, Cooking the Perfect Steak Using Real Science, report logbook

2^nd

Scott Manley, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School Engadine, How can I go faster on my Skis? report

AIP Most Outstanding Physics Award – For the students who best represent the 2016 National Science Week theme, “Drones, Droids and Robots”

Years K-12

1^st

Kira Macarthur, Homeschool-Menai, Plant eHealth, summary

2^nd

Oliver Nicholls, Barker College, Autonomous robotic window cleaner for commercial buildings, summary

^3rd

Charlie Stammers, Hannes Liu & Austin McCarroll, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, Optimus Mine, folio poster video

ASBMB Awards for Excellence in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Years 7-12

1^st

Bilge Zohre, Redeemer Baptist School, Cooking the Perfect Steak Using Real Science, report logbook

STEP Environmental Award – Awarded for the best environmental entry

Years 7-12

1^st

Evette Khaziran, Redeemer Baptist School, Give me a home among the gumtrees, report logbook

AARNet Communications Award Awards – Awarded to students with the best use of electronic communications in Scientific Investigations

Years K-6

Equal 1^st

Philippa Kennard, Oatley West Public School, Discovering Whether Different Suburbs Prefer Different Breeds of Dogs, workbook sample report video

Equal 1^st

Tristan Humphrey, Carlingford Public School, Can you kill a usb drive with static electricity? report logbook

Years 7-12

Equal 1^st

Felisha Kaiser & Elena Kaiser, Homeschool – Elsmore, Rain vs. Bore do the best results come out of the blue or the red? report logbook

Equal 1^st

Eleanor Clifton-Bligh, PLC Sydney, Meeting a Challenge of Climate Change: Water Penetration in Soil, report logbook

AARNet Communications Award Awards – Awarded to students with the best use of electronic communications in Models and Innovations

Years K-6

Equal 1^st

Luke Albrecht, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School, Automatic Dog Feeder, folio video

Equal 1^st

Alexander Dunn, Jonathan Morano & Michael Riddell, Knox Grammar Preparatory School, GRASS – Gutter Reactive Advanced Specialised Systems, folio video

Years 7-12

Equal 1^st

Callum Predavec, Mosman High School, Please Fix, summary

Equal 1^st

Oliver Nicholls, Barker College, Autonomous robotic window cleaner for commercial buildings, summary

AARNet Communications Award Awards – Awarded to students with the best use of electronic communications in Working Mathematically

Years K-6

Equal 1^st

Jarod Macarthur, Homeschool-Menai, Dirt Power, summary

Equal 1^st

Joshua Vanderlaan, Our Lady of Fatima Primary School Caringbah, Does age affect your ability to hear high frequency sounds? report logbook

Years 7-12

Equal 1^st

Vanessa Lin, PLC Sydney, Music Matters – Using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to determine the quality of sound produced by differently priced cellos, report logbook

Equal 1^st

Adithya Manoj, Redeemer Baptist School, I spy with my little eye …, report logbook

Western Sydney University Science Award – Greater Western Sydney entry that demonstrates particular scientific accomplishment

Years 7-12

1^st

Rouhaifa-Mariam Karime, Al Amanah College, The effect of Non Pharmacological treatment for people with dementia, report logbook

Sebel Testing and Evaluation Award – Based on the high level of quality control that Sebel displays in the design and manufacture of their products, they are looking for students who display the same meticulous and rigorous testing of their results or final products

Years K-12

1^st

Junior Savaiko, Redeemer Baptist School, Left Side? Strong Side! report logbook

2^nd

Ina Curic, Sydney Girls High School, Assessing the quantity of plastics present on two given beaches over time, summary

^3rd

Philippa Kennard, Oatley West Public School, Discovering Whether Different Suburbs Prefer Different Breeds of Dogs, workbook sample report video

IIAS Commercialisation and Entrepreneur Award – For three discoveries and inventions with the greatest potential to meet some urgent needs in economy, industry and society

Years K-12

1^st

Angela Rofail, PLC Sydney, Does the soaking of broad beans in different chemicals affect the speed at which the seeds germinate? report logbook

2^nd

Minh Nga Nguyen, Sydney Girls High School, Recycling waste into biochar: a sustainable wastewater filter and fertiliser for the agricultural industry, report

^3rd

Crystal Zhao, Meriden School, The Change in Strength of Plastic in Response to Seawater & Soil, report logbook

Rowe Scientific Equipment Prize – Awarded to the best three secondary students who best utilise scientific equipment in designing their solution to a scientific or technological problem

Years K-12

1^st

Harry Lye, O’Connor Catholic College, Fruit Fermentation, report

2^nd

Isaac Selvey, O’Connor Catholic College, Ethanol to Ethanoic Acid, report

^3rd

Ling Ling Lin, PLC Sydney, Sunscream (a phytoplankton problem), report logbook

SECTION 4 – GRAND AWARDS

2017 Budding Young Scientist – Overall best Years K-2 Project

(Sponsored by ACU)

Years K-2

1^st

Scott Manley, St John Bosco Catholic Primary School Engadine, How can I go faster on my Skis? report

2017 Primary Young Scientist – Overall best Years 3-6 Project

(Sponsored by ACU)

Years 3-6

1^st

Nicholas Hubbard, Castle Cove Public School, Does fabric softener make sleepwear more flammable? report logbook

2017 Sebel Young Scientist of the Year Award – Awarded to the best project in the whole Young Scientist Competition

Years K-12

1^st

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

SECTION 5 – ISEF/BROADCOM FINALISTS

2018 ISEF Finalists – All expenses-paid trip to represent Australia at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2018

(Major Sponsor – Sebel Furniture, also sponsored by Intel Foundation and Department of Industry, Innovation and Science)

Years 9-12

Finalist

Macinley Butson, The Illawarra Grammar School & Jade Moxey, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, The SAS System (Sanitation & Sterilization), summary

Finalist

Aniruddh Chennapragada, James Ruse Agricultural High School, Investigating the Carbonisation and Activation of Banana Peels for Applications in Batteries, summary

Finalist

Oliver Nicholls, Barker College, Autonomous robotic window cleaner for commercial buildings, summary

Finalist

Minh Nga Nguyen, Sydney Girls High School, Recycling waste into biochar: a sustainable wastewater filter and fertiliser for the agricultural industry, report

Finalist

Lachlan Bolton, Redeemer Baptist School, Future Board, folio video

Finalist

Felisha Kaiser & Elena Kaiser, Homeschool – Elsmore, Rain vs. Bore do the best results come out of the blue or the red? report logbook

Finalist

Emma Serisier, Bishop Druitt College, Effects of Storage Conditions and Time on Egg Quality, report logbook

2018 Broadcom MASTERS International Delegate – All expenses-paid trip to represent Australia at the Broadcom MASTERS International program, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, May 2018

(Sponsor – Broadcom Foundation)

Years 7-8

Delegate

Lila Moore, Sapphire Coast Anglican College, Platypus of the Brogo River System, NSW – Riparian vegetation links to population status, report logbook

Honorary Mention

Rena Tang, Meriden School, Global Worming: the solution or complication to Global Warming, report logbook