‘Pipe Down’ places third at NIWA for Girls’ School

Our Girls’ School students once again proved curiosity is alive and well with the results earned  at this year’s Auckland NIWA Science and Technology Fair. The group of fifteen Year 8s were recognised across multiple categories for their inquiry skills and innovating testing. 

The standout project came from Ria Toemen, whose investigation titled ‘Pipe Down’ won her third place in the Physical World category and a Special Award. Indigo Staples’ project ‘Baking Powder Boost’ also received a Special Prize from the Science Awards Trust for outstanding scientific method.

Several other projects were recognised with Highly Commended awards, including: Baking Powder Boost (Indigo Staples), Cruch? Munch? Clink? Cerealsy? Iron? (Teagan Harrison), What’s Eating My Metals? (Audrey Gu), Appleley Ever After (Aanya D R), Vitamin C Cook Off: Broccoli Edition (Alannah Luo), Colour Shock (Dina Lei), and Citrusy Electricity (Emily Folkard).

Participation entries also added to the strong representation from the Girls’ School, with projects such as Snack Attack! (Zara Scott), The C in Spinach (Lucia Zhang), From Stream to Cup: Growing Algae (Arabella Johnston), Candy Labs (Chloe King), Insulator Showdown – Hot or Not (Joanne Wu), Beyond H2O – A Plant’s Taste Test (Olivia Mu), and The Beat of the Music (Olivia Wu).

Head of Science, Jess Francis, commended the girls for their rigorous fair testing and clear reasoning. “Our girls provided exemplary explanations of their newly discovered specialist interests and were able to tackle challenging questions that convinced and authenticated their work in the eyes of the judges.” As these students move on to secondary education next year, we look forward with interest to seeing what investigations emerge as their learning deepens and their experience grows.