Opportunity for young inventors

How innovative are you? Can you build a machine to ease your mum's work or to ease your own school work? Do you want to set yourself the challenge of doing something innovative?

The best innovation and the best innovator will be awarded the opportunity of flying to the USA to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).

Are you curious to know what we are talking about? It's all about the Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) Competition, which has been running successfully for 23 years and which unfolds another episode this year. This year's competition is organised by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Institute of Engineering Sri Lanka (IESL) in collaboration with Intel.

The competition will be held in three categories:

Category I is for students between the ages of 15 and 16,

Category II is for students who are between 17 and 20 years, and

Category III is for those between the ages of 21 and 35.

Categories I and II are eligible for participation in international fairs, Intel and ISEF events and the International Exhibition for Young Inventors (IEYI). The selected projects in Category III would be provided with help for further development. If the projects have commercial applications, the necessary support would be given for promotion among industry.

If you have an idea that is original and innovative, you are eligible to participate, individually or in a team of three. Students can participate under the subject categories; Agriculture, Botany, Computer Science, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Earth-Science/Space Science, Mathematics, Physics and Zoology.

Introductory workshops will be conducted at provincial level to make schoolchildren aware of the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF). The first such workshop was held at the IESL Auditorium on June 27. The activities at this workshop included presentations on creative thinking, project ideas on engineering and science, and writing up the project proposals.

Students (Category I and II) can apply for the competition by sending a project proposal to the NSF. Category III applicants can directly apply from synopsis level. Based on the evaluation of project proposals, suitable projects will be selected for further improvements.

Guidance and the necessary resources will be provided to selected applicants to conduct the project. On completion of the project, applicants are requested to submit a project synopsis (summary).

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to participate at the national level competitions. The winners of the national level will be eligible for the following:

1. A certificate and award of recognition

2. A cash award

3. An opportunity to improve your project at the SLSEF Coaching camp

4. An opportunity to participate at the International Fair

Steps to a prize-winning research-based project

1. Select your topic

2. Source information on your project

3. Make a plan

4. Develop a hypothesis (idea)

5. Design experiments to test your hypothesis

6. Do the experiments and record the data

7. Record your observations

8. Consult your guide

9. Do your calculations

10. Summarise the results

11. Make your conclusions

12. Do a cost feasibility.

Janani Amarasekara