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Seven Surrey students win awards at virtual science fair

B.C./Yukon virtual event held in response to cancellations of many regional events due to COVID-19
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Mankeerat Sidhu of Semiahmoo Secondary is one of seven Surrey students to win at the BC/Yukon Virtual Science Fair, placing with his artificial intelligence-based wearable system to monitor and improve mental health. (Photo courtesy of Surrey Schools)

Students from a handful of Surrey schools were among the winners at the BC/Yukon Virtual Science Fair, which was held online, as opposed to in person, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, winners were from Ocean Cliff Elementary; Semiahmoo, Fraser Heights and Queen Elizabeth secondaries and SAIL (Surrey Academy of Innovative Learning), according to a Surrey Schools news release issued July 17.

The B.C./Yukon virtual event was held in response to cancellations of numerous regional events, the school district noted.

In the Fraser Valley division, the Al Appleton Worksafe Award was handed out to SAIL’s Gurleen Bahia, for a project called ‘Power Tech Parking’ which aimed to “develop a better design of the accessible parking system” that is currently in use, as a way to “reduce the abuse it is currently facing.”

Bahia’s project also won the BC Game Developers Innovation Award.

• READ ALSO: Surrey students develop prototypes for ‘hope’ at regional science fair

In the South Fraser division, Innovation Awards went to four students: Semiahmoo’s Gurik Mangat, for a project titled “Using Machine Learning to Accurately Predict Wildfire Danger”; Semi’s Mankeerat Sidhu, for an “AI-based Wearable System to Monitor and Improve Mental Health”; Queen Elizabeth’s Robin Yadav, for “Deep Learning-based Fire Recognition for Wildlife Drone Automation”; and Fawzan Hussain of Fraser Heights, for “Development of an EOG (Electrooculogram) Classification System for Spinal Cord Injury Prosthetic Hand Movement.”

Yadav also won the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Award, and Hussain was a recipient of the Vancouver RASC Martha Pearse Award. Semiahmoo’s Jasmine Virk also won the Martha Pearse Award, for her project “Detecting Cosmic Radiation Through a Cloud Chamber.”

The BC Science Teachers’ Award was given to Ocean Cliff’s Shelby Hack, for “Decomposition of Starch-based Bioplastics.”

The event “offered a digital platform for inquisitive Grade 4-12 students to share their science projects.” Students received feedback from experienced mentors along the way, the release notes.

For a full list of winners, visit www.connectingideas.ca



editorial@peacearchnews.com

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