SAEON Awards recognise best environmental observation studies

	Mitch Lovemore, a Grade 7 learner from the Eastern Cape won a SAEON Special Award for his project "Are flies our friends?"
	Jacques Pretorius, a learner from the Northern Gauteng Region, won the SAEON Special Award in the Grade 8-9 Category for his project entitled "Tropical storms' contribution to Anthrax outbreaks"
	SAEON's Sibongile Mokoena (left) with Ntsikelelo Charles, a Grade 11 learner from the Grahamstown Region, who won a SAEON Special Award for his project entitled "Investigating cheap, accessible and non-harmful ways to recycle grey water for crop irrigation"

The young people of today are the leaders of tomorrow, but they also need to be the problem solvers of the challenges they are likely to face.

Issues such as energy challenges, climate change and the scarcity of resources require a scientific approach with unique and creative solutions to drive change and improve our current situation. A generation of youths who are well-grounded in scientific knowledge is crucial in ensuring the continued survival of our planet as we know it, and it is at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists that South Africa's learners get an opportunity to prove that they are capable of meeting these challenges.

The Science Expo, hosted by the Department of Science and Technology in partnership with Eskom, aims to encourage young people to take an interest in careers in science and maths. Science projects entered by the learners are assessed according to internationally accepted ethics and standards.

Last year 878 learners from various schools across South Africa were selected as finalists for the 33rd Annual Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair. The standard of entries into the Expo was high. The projects covered a wide variety of topics with great depth, demonstrating scientific knowledge and skills.

SAEON Special Awards

Every year, the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) contributes to the Expo by judging those projects that fit in with the SAEON mandate (long-term observations and ecosystem change studies) and giving special awards to the winners in this group.

The SAEON Special Award for Best Project in Environmental Monitoring is intended as encouragement for the learners to pursue their interest in environmental observations. Prizes are selected to assist in this purpose, consisting of a pair of binoculars and a copy of SAEON's excellent book, Observing Environmental Change in South Africa, as well as a framed certificate.

The SAEON Award in the junior category (Grade 6-7) went to Mitch Lovemore, a Grade 7 learner from the Eastern Cape for his project, Are flies our friends? Mitch also won a silver medal in the overall Eskom Expo. Read the letter Mitch wrote to thank SAEON for the award.

Jacques Pretorius, a learner from the Northern Gauteng Region, won the SAEON Special Award in the Grade 8-9 Category for his project entitled Tropical storms' contribution to Anthrax outbreaks. Jacques also won a gold medal in the Eskom Expo and the Best Project Award in the Grade 8-9 Category.

Ntsikelelo Charles, a Grade 11 learner from the Grahamstown Region won a SAEON Special Award for his project entitled Investigating cheap, accessible and non-harmful ways to recycle grey water for crop irrigation. Ntsikelelo participated in the SAEON Elwandle Node's Education Outreach Programme. He moreover won a silver medal in the Eskom Expo.

Congratulations to all the SAEON Special Award winners. SAEON is proud to be associated with this prestigious event and as always, it is rewarding to see the delighted faces of the winners when they receive their awards.

SAEON is also very proud of the learners in its Education Outreach Programme who advanced to the National Finals of the Eskom Expo - Ntsikelelo Charles and Sophakama Zabo of the Grahamstown Region.

By Sibongile Mokoena, Education Outreach Coordinator, SAEON