Some 30 budding scientists presented their projects to researchers, the public and a prize jury for the 46th Jonk Fuerscher (Young Scientist) National Competition and the eighth edition of the Science Fair at the Geesseknäppchen Forum in Luxembourg yesterday.
Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and Education Minister Marc Hansen, as well as the numerous private sponsors of the Fondation Jeunes Scientifiques were also there to see what the students had created.
The winners of the national competition have now qualified to represent the Grand Duchy in international scientific competitions in China, in the United States and Brazil, and in the highly selective European Union Contest for Young Scientists organised by the European Commission. The younger ones will participate in internships or scientific exhibitions in Europe.
The three projects selected by the jury were:
• The role of materials and surfaces in the transmission of bacteria in public places, the work of Camilla Hurst (who won the 2015 and 2016 Jonk Fuerscher Competition, and won the gold medal in the Chinese CASTIC Contest in 2016), who studied the naturally anti-bacterial properties of pine, and built a prototype door handle that sterilises itself, as well as the hand of the person using the handle.
• The electromagnetic car, by twin brothers Sam and Tom Herz, the continuation of their 2016 project. They impressed the jury with their advanced level in physics, particularly in the field of electromagnetism, and their talents as engineers which they demonstrated with their functional vehicle prototype powered by electromagnetic force.
• The omega-3 alpha-linolenic fatty acid in Chia seeds and their influence on human benefits project by Ines Bahlawane and Lavinia Kadar investigated whether chia seeds, a very popular “super food”, are really as healthy as many claim. Their thorough study proved that they could well have a positive influence on our physical and mental performance!
The list of all projects presented is available on the website: www.jonk-fuerscher.lu
As every year, about fifteen international delegations from all over Europe, as well as from China, Mexico and Russia, also came to present their project winners in respective countries. With the participants of the National Competition, they transformed the Forum Geesseknäppchen into a true international hub of innovative and creative ideas.
The novelty this year was the Jonk Fuerscher Make @ thon (organised in collaboration with BeeCreative), a scientific and technological challenge spanning the entire weekend, bringing together young Luxembourgers and internationals and encouraging them to push their creativity beyond boundaries.
Image: Prime Minister Xavier Bettel reviews projects at yesterday's Young Scientists National Competition
