Aspiring young scientists awarded

A range of science awards has been presented to school students across Queensland.

The awards were bestowed as part of a national annual Hermitage Schools Plant Science Competition, which this year celebrated native foods.

This Department of Agriculture and Fisheries competition attracted more than 3600 Prep to Year 12 student entrants from 137 schools nationwide. Participants experienced firsthand how to prepare native food plants and learned about the role of science in agriculture, as well as how traditional native foods and food production systems have sustained people both today and for the past 60,000 years.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the science and art entries in this year’s competition were exceptional and gave great hope for the future of science and agriculture.

“These aspiring young scientists have learned about plant science, food technology and native foods, and how this applies to developing nutritious and delicious fresh produce,” Furner said.

“Students also created native food plant herbariums, carried out a marketing activity, cooked with bush tucker, researched the science behind using native plants for food production across the world and used a mobile gaming app to spot and identify pests that impact our precious native plant life and interfere with agricultural production.”

Major science award prize winners:

Paul Johnston Memorial Senior Science Award

• Winner: Michelle Springolo, Year 12, Groves Christian College of Distance Education, Toowoomba
• Runner-up: Cameron Colless, Year 11, Atherton State High School
   

Crawford Fund International Agricultural Science Award

Winners:

• Michelle Springolo, Year 12, Groves Christian College of Distance Education, Toowoomba
• Daniel Kuhn, Year 7, Scots PGC College, Warwick
• Sebastian Sharples-Dawson, Year 5, Dalby State School
   

Runners-up:

• Ruby Pettingill, Year 10, Glasshouse Christian College, Sunshine Coast
• Bonnie Petersen, Year 7, Scots PGC College, Warwick
   

QUT Most Outstanding Poster Awards

• Michelle Springolo, Year 12, Groves Christian College of Distance Education, Toowoomba
• Ciara McRae, Belle Sweedman & Bridie Hutchinson, Year 7, Scots PGC College, Warwick
• Year 5/6 class, Glennie Heights State School, Warwick
• Year P-2 class, Freestone State School, Warwick
   

Ag Institute of Australia Junior Science Achievement Award

• Winner: Yasmine Brockhurst, Year 8, Brigidine College, Brisbane
• Runner-up: Daniel Kuhn, Year 7, Scots PGC College, Warwick
   

Joe Baker Outstanding Achievement Awards

• Sebastian Sharples-Dawson, Year 5, Dalby State School
• Dominic Walker, Year 2, Freestone State School, Warwick
   

John and Chris Purdie Young Science Investigator Award

• Winner: Violet Trigg, Year P, Freestone State School, Warwick
• Runner-up: Hayley Johnson, Year 1, Pilton State School
   

Image credit: iStock.com/Warchi