Official Google Australia Blog: Four Australian ideas to change the world: Local students named as Regional Finalists for the 2013 Google Science Fair

Four Australian ideas to change the world: Local students named as Regional Finalists for the 2013 Google Science Fair

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Many great scientists developed their curiosity for science at an early age and in January we called on the brightest young minds from around the world to send us their ideas to change the world. Our 2013 Google Science Fair attracted an exciting and diverse range of entries, with thousands of submissions from more than 120 countries.
After a busy few months for the judges, we’re ready to reveal that four Australian students have been named as regional finalists for the 2013 Google Science Fair. It was no easy task selecting these projects, but in the end their creativity, scientific merit and global relevance shined through on the global stage.
Viney Kumar (14) from Sydney looked at ways we could improve the effectiveness of Emergency Response Vehicles to help Australians. Zaynab Sheriffdeen (14) from Melbourne pondered “Is there a more effective way to battle MRSA?”. Yaya Lu (17) from Hobart completed an Investigation of Potential Assistive Methodologies for Complete Quadriplegics and Ethan Butson (17) from Wollongong is working on developing devices that ensure you get the perfect amount of sun exposure - enough to fight against vitamin D deficiencies while balancing that against the risks of developing sun cancer.
Other interesting projects from the 90 regional finalists from around the world range from using tomatoes and banana peels to produce bioplastics to research into a green treatment for contaminated water. Other projects include a study on the effects of video gaming on the cognitive function of the brain and the evaluation of wireless transmission of electricity.
On June 27 we’ll announce the 15 global finalists and the winner of the Science in Action Award. These young scientists will then be flown to Google’s California headquarters for the last round of judging and a celebratory event on September 23. Thank you to everyone who submitted a project—we really appreciate all your hard work. Congratulations and good luck to our four Australian regional finalists! Posted by Sam Peter, Google Science Fair team