Sri Lankan students triumph at Intel ISEF 2016

Lochana Piyumantha, Abhishekh Gomes and Chamindu Jayasanka

The Sri Lankan team secured five awards at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2016, world’s largest high school science research competition, which took place in Phoenix, Arizona. 
For the excellence shown in the area of embedded systems, Abishekh Gomes from Belvoir College International, Colombo won a grand award and two special awards for his wearable device which translates American Sign Language into English.
Chamindu Jayasanka from Hanwella Rajasinghe Central College and P.M. Lochana Piyumantha from Madampe Senanayake Central College also received two special awards for their outstanding innovative and research skills.
Abishekh Gomes received a third place grand award of US$1,000 for his project in the Embedded Systems category at the Intel ISEF Grand Awards Ceremony. He also won a special award of US$2,000 from Synaptics Organization in USA and US$500 from the Patent and Trademark Office Society of the United States. Chamindu’s ‘Modified and Adjustable Crutches’ project won a special award of US$1,000 from the Patent and Trademark Office Society of the United States for his outstanding originality and clarity in science and technology. The Nano technology-based solution for resistant endometrial cancer cells from Lochana won a special award of US$1,000 from Qatar Foundation for the excellence he showed in human life sciences.
The three finalists were chosen from the Sri Lanka Science and Engineering Fair (SLSEF) 2016, the affiliated fair in Sri Lanka for Intel ISEF which is conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Education. The SLSEF features the ten best projects each from the Junior Inventor of the Year (JIY) competition held by the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka and the Science Research Project Competition (SRPC) of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka.
“Intel congratulates this year’s winning students from Sri Lanka. I hope this motivates the thousands of young Sri Lankan innovators and researchers out there to apply their skills and inventiveness to solve modern global challenges. ISEF is an excellent showcase of what can be achieved when students from different backgrounds and perspectives come together to share ideas and solutions,” said Indika de Zoysa, Country Business Manager, Intel EM Ltd., Sri Lanka Liaison Office. 
Han Jie (Austin) Wang, 18, of Vancouver, Canada, was the recipient of the first place Gordon E. Moore Award and US$75,000 for developing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that more efficiently convert organic waste into electricity. 
Syamantak Payra, 15, of Friendswood, Texas, received one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of US$50,000, for developing a low-cost electronically aided knee brace that allows an individual with a weakened leg to walk more naturally. Kathy Liu, 17, of Salt Lake City, Utah, received the other Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of US$50,000 for developing an alternative battery component that could significantly improve battery performance and safety. 
The 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair featured more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 419 affiliate fairs in 77 countries, regions and territories. 
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair honors the world’s most promising student scientists, inventors and engineers. Finalists are selected annually from hundreds of affiliated fairs. Their projects are then evaluated on-site by approximately 1,000 judges from nearly every scientific discipline, each with a Ph.D. or the equivalent of six years of related professional experience in one of the scientific disciplines. 
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2016 is funded jointly by Intel and the Intel Foundation with additional awards and support from dozens of other corporate, academic, governmental and science-focused organizations. This year, approximately US$4 million was awarded.