Complete Document with Photos at: http://sciencesociety.in/IRIS_Press_Release.pdf
“Team India” –This is not a cricket team but Young Innovative Brains! at ISEF 2009, Reno, USA
Students from India between 9th and 12th grade have shown that they have the creativity and
scientific ability by bagging 7 awards at the prestigious Intel International Science &
Engineering Fair (ISEF) held at Reno, Nevada, USA. ISEF is the world largest pre-college
science fair, with the 2009 fair attracting 1,563 young scientists from 56 countries, regions and
territories. Team India was represented by 8 bright students who participated with 4
Individual and 2 Team projects. By winning awards at ISEF these young students have made
their country proud in scientific and engineering innovation.
Hetal Vaishnav, a 10th standard student from Late Shree S.G Dholakiya Memorial High School,
Rajkot bagged a 2nd place grand award in the category Environmental Management, and
received three special awards including one from Patent and Trademark Office Society, the
Ricoh Sustainable Development Award, and one from the AVASC foundation. Her project
illustrated a novel & cost effective process of creating composite material using non-recyclable
plastics (multilayer metallized plastic packaging (e.g. chips and gutkha packets). By
preventing such non-recyclable waste going as land-fill and being dumped, Hetal’s project
provides a new direction in recycling.
Debarghya Sarkar & Anish Mukherjee both 11th standard students from South Point High
School, Kolkata, won a 2nd place Grand Award for team projects in the Engineering category.
Their project attempts to curb bottle forgery by designing a novel clamped bottle neck and cap
for single and multiple use, which is tamper proof.
Vishnu Jayaprakash a 11th standard student from Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai,
demonstrated a microbial fuel cell based on inexpensive graphite electrodes. Vishnu
won a 2nd place Grand Award in the Energy & Transportation category for his
comprehensive study and modifications to a cow-dung fuel cell which is almost 90%
cheaper than that available at present.
Rithika Sangameshwaran and Diva Jain, 9th standard students from Modern English
School, Mumbai, demonstrated a bio-pesticide effective against cockroaches using
extracts from the leaves of Solanum nigrum and Psidium guajava (guava). They won a
special award from AVASC foundation USA.
“We have moved one notch up by grabbing 2nd place positions at the Grand Awards”
says representative of IRIS Scientific Review Committee.
IRIS – Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science is the Indian National Fair for research-based science and
engineering projects that is held in late November/early December each year, and is
affiliated to international ISEF . The short listed National winners from IRIS are
mentored and the best amongst them get to represent India at the Intel ISEF.
IRIS is the result of partnership between Intel India, Department of Science &
Technology (DST) & Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and is turning out to be a
great innovation hub for students across India.
For details on participating in IRIS visit http://www.iris.educationinindia.net/
Here is the performance of Team India.
Energy and Transportation – Presented by Shell Oil
Second Award of $1,500
Title: A Novel Microbial Fuel Cell Based on Inexpensive Graphite Electrodes
Vishnu Jayaprakash, 15, Chettinad Vidyashram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Environmental Management – Presented by Intel
Second Award of $1,500
Title: Recycled Composite Material Made from Non-recyclable Multilayer Film Plastic
Packaging Waste
Hetal Kanjibhai Vaishnav, 16, Late Shree S.G Dholakiya Memorial High School, Rajkot,
Gujarat
Team Projects – Presented by Science News
Second Award of $1,500
Title: Clamped Bottle Cap: A Novel Tamper-proof Bottle Cap Design
Debarghya Sarkar, 17, South Point High School, Kolkata, West Bengal
Anish Mukherjee, 17, South Point High School, Kolkata, West Bengal
Special Awards By:
Ashtavadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty (AVASC)
Foundation
Second Award of $500 U.S. savings bond
Title: Recycled Composite Material Made from Non-recyclable Multilayer Film Plastic
Packaging Waste
Hetal Kanjibhai Vaishnav, 16, Late Shree S.G. Dholakiya Memorial High School,
Rajkot, Gujarat
Title: Solanum nigrum and Psidium guajava as a Bio-Pesticide for Cockroaches
Divya Vastupal Jain, 15, Modern English School, Mumbai, Maharshtra
Rithika Sangameshwaran, 14, Modern English School, Mumbai Maharashtra
Patent and Trademark Office Society
Second Award of $200
Title: Recycled Composite Material Made from Non-recyclable Multilayer Film Plastic
Packaging Waste
Hetal Kanjibhai Vaishnav, 16, Late Shree S.G Dholakiya Memorial High School,
Rajkot, Gujarat
Ricoh Americas Corporation
Ricoh Sustainable Development Award of $12,500
Title: Recycled Composite Material Made from Non-recyclable Multilayer Film Plastic
Packaging Waste
Hetal Kanjibhai Vaishnav, 16, Late Shree S.G Dholakiya Memorial High School,
Rajkot, Gujarat
