Durbanville pair scoop best energy project at expo

Curro Durbanville High School Grade 11s Ben van der Westhuizen and Sebastian van der Wolf have won the award for the best energy project at this year’s Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.

The annual expo was held at the Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch on Friday and Saturday August 4 and 5 and some 256 pupils from around the country took part.

Ben said his passion for science and zoology had blossomed at an early age, and Sebastian said his interest in science began in primary school.

Their science project focused on different blade angles for turbines and how to create the best output.

“This was tested using 30-degree, 45-degree and 60-degree blades. Many hours of work went into the preparation of the design on the computer programs such as Sketch Up and AutoCAD. Sebastian worked mostly on the design with me assisting him with anything he needed,” said Ben.

“We started with the research plan in March and began working on the main project in April,” said Sebastian.

Ben added: “We had to manage our limited time, budget and materials available to us as students. We work very well together as partners having been close friends for more than five years.”

Ben said he planned to explore computer science as a career while Sebastian sees himself tackling structural engineering.