Silver for budding scientist at fair in Taiwan
YOUNG South African scientist Zara Nijzink-Laurie took home second prize in the behavioural and social sciences category at the prestigious Taiwan International Science Fair recently.
The annual event sees pupils from more than 23 countries and territories participate in the competitive science fair as well as a cultural tour of Taipei.
Also competing was Kalsee Nadasen, a fellow South African from Hatfield Christian School in Gauteng. The pair were selected to represent South Africa thanks to the outstanding projects that they presented at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists International Science Fair in October 2017.
“My project investigates the awareness of the menstrual cup and barriers to using it among schoolgirls.
“Although menstrual cups are cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than pads or tampons, they are not widely known or used,” Nijzink-Laurie said.
The fair took place from January 28 to February 2 in Taipei, and Nijzink-Laurie, a Grade 8 pupil from Rustenburg High School in Cape Town, came second in the highly specialised category.
Nijzink-Laurie’s project involved conducting research among young girls in Grades 8 and 11 at a local school.
Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after watching a video about the menstrual cup.
Nijzink-Laurie’s research showed that 54% of the younger girls and 92% of the older girls had heard of the cup but in each group only one girl had used it.
About 11% of younger girls and 40% of older girls would consider using the cup.
Her research found that there were a range of barriers to using the cup and to address these issues required more than just dissemination of information.
Small workshops would help to shift behaviour, she found.
Parthy Chetty, executive director of the Eskom Expo, said: “We are very proud that Zara took home a silver medal at the Taiwan International Science Fair.
‘‘The Eskom Expo is all about encouraging and motivating young people to pursue careers in the sciences, and we really hope this recognition at an international level spurs her on to develop her research further.
‘‘We need more research into an issue like this and we hope that Zara will one day be able to implement the interventions necessary to shift behaviour among schoolgirls.”
Nijzink-Laurie and Nadasen were selected from among 600 of South Africa’s future engineers, chemists, physicists, mathematicians and innovators at the Eskom Expo, the country’s largest school-level science fair, for a chance to take home prizes worth more than R4 million.