An idea by two pupils from a rural Mthatha school to build an “escalating bridge” to help disabled people cross the road has won them gold at the national Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.
Siyanda Ngcatu, 17, and Sonwabo Mzayiya, 15, who are Grade 10 pupils at Zamukulungisa High School, did well throughout the preliminary rounds and went on to shine at the national competition.
They represented Mthatha and their school in the engineering: chemical, metallurgical, civil and mining category. The expo took place earlier this month.
Siyanda told the Dispatch that initially, after being presented with a problem that required solutions to assist the disabled, they thought about making a bridge with just one lift.
“We realised that many people on wheelchairs or crutches face a lot of difficulty crossing the road.
“So we created a bridge that has two elevators on either side of the road going up and down and one in the middle sliding from one side to the other,” said Siyanda.
The pair must present their model to another panel tomorrow to determine if they make it to other international science competitions.
They have decided to modify their bridge to add other materials such as wood, for starters, instead of cardboard in preparation for the judges.
Sonwabo said their bridge was also a lesson that age or qualifications did not limit the amount of change one could bring to their community.
“Science has taught me that you can solve some social problems using your hands and mind no matter how old you are or how educated you are.”
Siyanda said the experience had taught him that scarcity of resources did not mean one could not succeed.
“We learnt commitment and focus and we learnt how to listen to each other’s ideas and the importance of teamwork and now we have trophies to show for it,” said Siyanda.
Their teacher, Sixolisiwe Rozani, said: “I knew how much work they had put in and it has been impressive to see their cognitive thinking shift towards problem solving and that is the benefit of entering such competitions.”
Grade 10 pupils strike gold
Siyanda Ngcatu, 17, and Sonwabo Mzayiya, 15, who are Grade 10 pupils at Zamukulungisa High School, did well throughout the preliminary rounds and went on to shine at the national competition.
They represented Mthatha and their school in the engineering: chemical, metallurgical, civil and mining category. The expo took place earlier this month.
Siyanda told the Dispatch that initially, after being presented with a problem that required solutions to assist the disabled, they thought about making a bridge with just one lift.
“We realised that many people on wheelchairs or crutches face a lot of difficulty crossing the road.
“So we created a bridge that has two elevators on either side of the road going up and down and one in the middle sliding from one side to the other,” said Siyanda.
The pair must present their model to another panel tomorrow to determine if they make it to other international science competitions.
They have decided to modify their bridge to add other materials such as wood, for starters, instead of cardboard in preparation for the judges.
Sonwabo said their bridge was also a lesson that age or qualifications did not limit the amount of change one could bring to their community.
“Science has taught me that you can solve some social problems using your hands and mind no matter how old you are or how educated you are.”
Siyanda said the experience had taught him that scarcity of resources did not mean one could not succeed.
“We learnt commitment and focus and we learnt how to listen to each other’s ideas and the importance of teamwork and now we have trophies to show for it,” said Siyanda.
Their teacher, Sixolisiwe Rozani, said: “I knew how much work they had put in and it has been impressive to see their cognitive thinking shift towards problem solving and that is the benefit of entering such competitions.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos