Nozipho shines at science fair

GLENMORE resident and budding scientist, Nozipho Zikhali will be winging her way to the Grahamstown Festival after impressing judges at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists competition.

Nozipho, who is a Grade 7 learner at Manor Gardens Primary School, said she heard about the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists at her school science club in 2016. She said it caught her attention and with her passion for science, decided to enter the competition the same year.

In 2017 she participated once again, entering a project based on whether bottled water in South Africa contained contaminants or whether it was purer than tap water.

“I decided to research this topic as my mom and I drink a lot of bottled water, because my mom thought it was purer than tap water. But after I was sent a video on how bottled water in the US contained contaminants, it made me wonder,” she said.

Nozipho got stuck into researching the topic and performed four tests at a local lab, with mentors who helped and guided her.

The microbial test was done first to see how much bacteria there was in filtered water, tap water and bottled water. This was followed by a PH test and a conductivity test to check electrical currents in the water. The final test was the ion chromatographic test to see how many ions are found in the water.

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“I learnt why I had to do the tests and really learnt a lot in the process. The results were that tap water in Durban is purer than bottled water,” she said.

Judges were so impressed by her project that she won three prizes, one being an invitation to present at the Grahamstown Festival in March this year.

“It was very exciting but I was very nervous as I had to give a lecture about my project to 500 people! It was an amazing experience and it taught me to get out of my shell. The talk was well received. It was a busy time but it was wonderful and I feel much more confident in myself,” she said.

Nozipho said she would like to go into veterinary science when she is older, or molecular biology like her mom, whom she said is very proud of her achievements.

“I’m definitely going to participate in the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists again this year in August and hope to be selected to attend the International Science Fair again and further international fairs. I have done my research, I just need to do my experiments!” she said.

Nozipho said other than her interest in science, she loves to read, draw and watch movies, and once in a while she enjoys swimming.

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