Young Scientists Win Clean Tech Competition With Recycled Clam Shells

Young innovators from Hwa Chong Institution have emerged as winners for their creative solution that uses recycled clam shells to purify waste water.

AsianScientist (Apr. 15, 2013) – Young innovators from Hwa Chong Institution have emerged as winners for their creative solution that uses recycled clam shells to purify waste water.

Following 28 weeks of vigorous prototyping and innovative research and design, the young scientists emerged as the grand prize winner in the Applied Materials Clean Tech Competition (CTC) here in Singapore.

Their student team’s innovative project – using calcium carbonate found in clam shells to remove toxic metal ions from wastewater – showcased their talents to solve critical global water problems through clean energy.

The grand finals in Singapore took place at the Science Center on Saturday, where the teams presented their solutions to a panel of judges that included representatives from both government and private sector stakeholders.

Claiming the grand prize of US$5,000 was the team from Hwa Chong Institution with its project, “Recycling Clam Shells for Water Purification.” Tied for second place, with a cash prize of US$2,500 each, was Temasek Junior College’s team with its project, “Water Vapor Harvesting Drip Irrigation,” and Anderson Junior College’s team with its project, “Resolving the Water Crisis in Kenya.”

“This is a moment of pride for the winning teams and Applied Materials would like to congratulate all those who participated in the entire CTC journey,” said Russell Tham, Regional President, Applied Materials South East Asia.

As the main sponsor for the competition, Applied Materials awarded a total of USD$15,000 in cash prizes to ten winning teams.

“The Clean Tech Competition has provided our local students the opportunity to explore a critical area of growing concern in today’s world,” said A/Prof Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive, Science Center Singapore. “The competition challenged the teams to creatively turn clean energy concepts into real-world solutions. This is no small feat as it requires analytical and critical thinking skills with a good grasp of related science and technology, and a deep understanding of world issues surrounding clean energy. They have made us proud indeed.”

The Clean Tech Competition is a philanthropic research and design challenge program for 15-18 year old students held annually in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, Xi’an, China and Singapore. Launched for the first time in Singapore this year, the competition received entries from 330 students, forming 91 teams across 23 schools.

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Source: Science Center Singapore; Applied Materials.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

Asian Scientist Magazine is an award-winning science and technology magazine that highlights R&D news stories from Asia to a global audience. The magazine is published by Singapore-headquartered Wildtype Media Group.

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