Jamie-Louise Hauenschild is helping change the way we use water with her gold medal winning project at the International Science Fair.
Hauenschild is in Grade 11 at Rand Park High School and out of the 19 000 entries received for the Eskom Science Expo this year, she was one of 560 pupils who was selected to progress to the International Science Fair. Participants came from various regions including the main South African provinces as well as Mexico and Kenya.
Her project, called the Water Man is based on saving water which, to Hauenschild, seemed like the most important issue to focus on when one considers that we are experiencing drought conditions. Her inspiration for the idea, however, was sparked by an abandoned baby squirrel.
“I rescued a baby squirrel and when one raises baby animals, it’s important to keep them constantly warm. I had to fill up a 500ml water bottle with hot water every hour, this proved to be a problem and so I sought a solution,” said Hauenschild.
Her idea was to create a model that traps the cold water in a separate compartment while the water heats up. “As we all know when we shower or wash dishes, a lot of water is wasted while waiting for it to come up to temperature.”
The design is a three-way valve for household taps. The feed is then directed to the hot tap for use by the consumer.
Hauenschild explains the process in a video:
The model would not only save water but the electricity it takes to heat it up, thus working effectively on financial savings as well as environmental.
Hauenschild received a gold medal award at the prize giving ceremony held on 7 October. Her results were commendable as she was one of 56 people who received a gold award. She thanked her two teachers, Ryan Inkley and Hylton Murray for their support and guidance.
