TOP 5 Science PrOjecTS AT The Think Science FAir
Developing solutions for people of determination, aiding the environment, using technology to tackle world problems or just quirky experiments: The UAE’s students are getting attention for their science fair presentations. A total 240 projects from 678 students were being showcased at the Think Science Fair at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Khaleej Times picked out five interesting projects that stood out from the crowd. After hearing about the increasing police fatalities in the US, students from the GEMS Modern Academy invented glass that cannot be broken by any internal or external factors. Khaleej Times tried hammering the glass so it would break, but there was not a crack. Fahim Abdul Ghani, one of the project’s students, said: “To create this glass, we melted glass rods, put the melted part in cold water and followed a few other steps to make it bulletproof and unbreakable. It cost only Dh100 to make, but a full vest would cost Dh6,000.” > Foot-charge your phone Two Sharjah-based students developed a fast solution to a problem we all face: A dead mobile phone battery. Their invention lets you recharge phones by simply walking.
Al Riffa High School for Girls students created a special motion energy harvester that can be attached under any footwear, to create and store energy in a battery. The battery power can then be used to recharge a mobile phone or any other gadget. Its aim is to create more renewable energy resources and help make the planet greener by reducing our carbon footprint. > Paper that cleans itself No need to buy an eraser, produce paper waste and damage the environment: A type of paper that can clean itself was another highlight at the fair. Ameera Al Remeithi, a Zayed University student, invented papers that can be wiped clean of any kind of ink once it’s exposed to sunlight. A special kind of chemical is applied to these recyclable papers, which can be written, drawn or painted on. “We can reuse the paper over and over again and reduce our paper waste,” she said. > A classroom desk for the deaf Students from the Al Ittihad Private School in Jumeirah displayed an idea of creating a classroom table customised for students suffering from deafness or hearing loss.
The project, called ‘The Interactiv’, enables such students to attend a mainstream school. The table will hold a device that can convert voice into text. It will also be able to attach lights that reflect the student’s purpose for using the device, which means each colour will have different meanings. “Our creation will make people with hearing disabilities feel they’re a part of society, helping them gain self-confidence,” said Hawa Bizan, one of the students. > Transmit data affordably underwater Forget Wi-Fi; Li-Fi is the new big thing, according to Ragdha Abuolwan, a student at the Abu Dhabi University, who was displaying her project called ‘Application of Li-Fi’.
It consists of an underwater robot using a wire of light. Li-Fi can be used to transmit data files efficiently from USB to USB, without the need to connect them with wires or Wi-Fi. “Fibre optics transmits data underwater currently, but it is expensive. Li-Fi will be able to transmit data under water affordably. We use visible light, which is a green communications system that does not harm living organisms underwater,” she said.