The competition that took place this weekend in Reno, Nevada in the USA
Shira Ahisher, Shahar Gevirtz and Yadid Elgaoi, winners of the 2009 Young Scientists Competition in Israel held by the Bloomfield Science Museum in collaboration with Intel and the Ministry of Education, represented Israel and achieved impressive achievements:
- Shira Ahisher, came in second place in the category of behavioral sciences in the global competition for the research paper on the perception of contexts and logical thinking among schizophrenics
- Shahar Gvirtz and Yadid Elgaoui came in fourth place in the team category for their research work on purifying water from lead ions
The winners of the Young Scientists and Developers Competition organized by the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem go to the International Intel Competition - ISEF, which is the largest and most important science competition. The prestigious competition is intended for high school students from all over the world and provides an opportunity for the best young scientists and inventors to meet, share ideas and present top-notch scientific projects.
Over 1,500 competitors representing about 50 countries around the world participate in the competition every year, and they compete for prizes with a total value of 4 million dollars. Over 20% of the young scientists who participate in the competition each year register their ideas as patents or apply for registration.
Shira Ahisher from Aharon Katzir High School, Rehovot conducted a study among the schizophrenic patient population, which offers a way to trace their logical thinking processes through responses to short comic stories. Her research suggests that this method can be used to trace patterns characteristic of patients and perhaps even locate the sources of their formation, thus possibly leading to more effective treatment of the disease. In Israel, Shira came second in the competition.
Shahar Gevirtz and Yadid Elgaoui, the winners of the first place in the competition in Israel, students of Amit Gush Dan High School, conducted a study on purifying water from lead ions. In their research, a new method was developed and tested to reduce the concentration of lead in water, through its adsorption to common water plants, pistachio and salvinia, by a chemical reaction of oxidation-reduction.
Maxine Fassberg, CEO of Intel and Vice President of Intel Global states: "Great ideas start with providing equal opportunity to everyone. The competition gave these students the opportunity to embark on a wonderful journey of scientific discovery, and we are proud of the outstanding achievement of the three young scientists in the prestigious competition, which is a sign and example and a great source of Israeli pride, as well as for strengthening the importance and priority that must be given and invested in the promotion and cultivation of originality and creativity in various fields of science and technology." .
At the same time as the competition, a workshop was held for teachers from all over the world, on the topic of learning through projects, in which three educators from Israel: Dr. Eli Eisenberg, VP of the ORT network, and two outstanding teachers: Dr. Anna Heller from the Herzliya Science Center and Dr. Amnon Yosef from Lehman High School in Dimona.
