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Karl Schembri
While enjoying their last month of summer holidays before starting Form 2, five young Maltese scientists are also busy perfecting their invention before presenting it to the world next year.
Ambrose Galea, James Borg, Sander Grima, Gabriel Ellul and Neil Bugeja of St Augustine’s College have won the right to exhibit their ‘Car Dust Grabber’ at the World Exposcience to be held in Santiago, Chile in July next year, after they won first prize in the Mediterranean Exposcience in France last month. And like all scientists worth their salt, they intend to make their invention better.
Their success in France has already been outstanding. There, the Maltese 11-year-olds exhibited their modest yet ingenious invention among 25 groups of young scientists from Mediterranean countries and even beat a group who invented a machine that ‘translated’ mobile phone SMSes into audio signals for the blind.
The so-called Car Dust Grabber is effectively an extension to the car silencer made of household materials, filled with expanded polystyrene that traps particulate matter emitted by the car.
Last May, the students told MaltaToday of how the dense black fumes coming out of the St Luke’s Hospital chimney which they see everyday out of their classroom window, and exhaust from cars driving along Sa Maison, inspired them to find a solution to the overwhelming problem of air pollution, specifically car pollution.
“We came up with our own cheap way of reducing the black dust particles given off with car exhaust,” said Sander. “The idea was to build an easy-to-install extension to the car silencer to grab particulate matter before it is released into the atmosphere while the car is working.”
Their invention won them the first prize in the NSTF School Contest for Young Scientists, which meant that they could participate in the Mediterranean Exposcience held in Valbonne-Sophia-Antipolis in the South of France in July.
Accompanied by their science teachers Dr Louise Grima and Joe Grima, they were the youngest scientists among Mediterranean students to exhibit their invention in France, grabbing the attention of other delegations and, unknowingly, of the judges.
In fact, the Maltese delegation was not even aware that there was a contest going on among young scientists while they were abroad. They just set up a stand with photos and prototypes of their invention, and explained enthusiastically to whoever asked them what their project was all about. The mayor of Valbonne and officials from international scientific organisations were among the visitors who stopped by their stand.
It was only late at night on their last day in France that the students got to know that there were prizes involved, and that they had won first prize.
“The students could not believe it when the news was broken to them late at night,” Mr Grima says. “But the disappointment was clearly written on their faces as they could not stay for the prize-giving which was to be held the day after while they were going to be flying back to Malta.”
Now that the disappointment at not being present for the prize-giving ceremony has fizzled out, the five young scientists are back to the drawing board.
“They are already devising methods on improving on their project, for they intend to win the next World Contest,” says Mr Grima, “and looking at their track record, maybe it is not such an improbable outcome after all.”
Apart from the right to participate in the International Exposcience to be held in Santiago, Chile, the prize includes EUR1,000 that will be used for participation fees. This means that the funds for the children’s trip, together with their supervisors, will have to come from other sponsors or through their own money.
“We hope we’ll find some sponsors to help the students go to Chile with their invention,” Mr Grima says. “These students have made a name for Malta in the field of science, winning over other Mediterranean countries. They should be encouraged to pursue their interest in science.”
Karl@newsworksltd.com
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