By Alesha Capone
Two girls from Tarneit P-12 College have teamed up to win the Young Scientist of Wyndham competition.
Friends Ananya, 12, and Hely, 13, won the section of the contest for year 6-7 students.
The event was held last month during the Wyndham Learning Festival and was open to students aged between 10 and 18.
Ananya and Hely said their entry was a model based on the idea for a domestic fertiliser generator to turn food waste into fertiliser through a five-step process including shredding, heating and cooling.
During the competition, they presented their idea to the judges and answered questions.
The girls said the benefits of the generator were that it would prevent rubbish going to landfill and cut down on chemicals used to manufacture fertiliser.
The girls said they felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement during the contest.
Hely said that when they were announced as the winners, she initially thought the judges had made a mistake.
“But winning the competition has helped to increase my confidence,” she said.
She and Ananya received trophies, participation certificates and gift vouchers for their winning effort.
“We want to encourage other students our age to think about entering the competition next year – it’s a great opportunity,” Ananya said.
Suzanne Cory High School student Himani won the year 8-12 section of competition, after also winning a first prize during last year’s Young Scientist of Wyndham.
