Science project to protect school against gas leak

Monday, 20 August 2007

Science project to protect school against gas leaks

A year 12 Manurewa High School student, Megan Gildersleve, has rolled up her sleeves and got on with the business of science as she works on her project for the upcoming MIT Manukau Science and Technology Fair.

Megan, who has always had an interest in science, has created a robot that is able to detect gas leaks, called RoboGas. The robot is a Mindstorm Lego product, that Megan built, which transports an attached gas sensor which is used to pick up potentially dangerous gas leaks.

The robot itself is powered by batteries and is programmed via computer to move up and down the school corridor. If it picks up any leakages the robot will send a remote wireless message to an alarm bell in the school technician’s room so they can investigate.

“The sensor isn’t very sensitive and effective so we have been using it up and down on the school bench, although it can go in the corridor,” says Megan.

“I would really like to take it further and have an even more sensitive sensor attached as well as be able to program the robot to freeze when it detects the leak. That means when they come to investigate the robot will be at the source of the leak.”

To date, Megan has worked on many science projects but she says this is the biggest one. However, the budding scientist says she isn’t stopping any time soon and plans to study further in the field by becoming a vet.

“I have always been keen on science – both of my grandpas were interested in the field and I guess it has rubbed off on me!

“I feel that science could lead into a lot of opportunities that some would never imagine possible. Science just intrigues me and it is a subject that many schools should push because of all the opportunities you can gain in a lifetime through learning and putting it into practice.

“If my school did not offer the variety of science classes I would have been limited in my career ambitions. A lot of people think science is boring and that it is just filled with formulas and writing out long explanations for things, but really it’s totally different. The explanations let you see how it works in everyday life and the understanding of how things actually work.”

The MIT Manukau Science and Technology Fair competition is open to intermediate schools and colleges in the Counties Manukau area and entries close on Tuesday, 09 August. All entries will be judged by a panel of experts from industry and education on Sunday, 19 August, while the prizegiving will be held on Tuesday, 28 August at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre. The competition is open to the public for viewing from Monday, 20 to Wednesday, 22 August.

ENDS

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