Taiwan students shine at INESPO

2015/06/09

Taiwan student teams collected gold, silver and bronze medals at this year’s International Environment and Sustainability Project Olympiad concluding June 5 in the Netherlands, underscoring the creativity and ingenuity of the country’s youth.

Hsieh Fu-yi of Gungguan Junior High School in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County bagged gold for her project Monitoring the Seismic Reduction and Vibration Resistance of the Cable Car.

A regular science competition winner at home and abroad, Hsieh said although a gondola system automatically shuts down in the event of an earthquake, riders are often left terrified by continued swaying of the cars.

“My project identifies special circumstances in which the gondola will experience shorter periods of sway and proposes devices that can effectively enhance safety of such transportation.”

Yu Hao-ren of Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School collected silver for his submission The Influence by Different Materials of Substrates on the Efficiency of Thermoelectric Modules. Powered by body temperature, the device may be used to produce heat-retaining wristers and clothing.

A three-member team from Kaohsiung Municipal Girls’ Senior High School picked up bronze for project Energy Dissipation of Propagating Shock Wave in Metal Foils, which may have applications in designing road paving and devices reducing the impact of a collision.

According to the National Taiwan Science Education Center, Hsieh’s and KMGSH’s submissions finished on top in the 2015 Taiwan International Science Fair. They were nominated by the Taipei City-based institution to take part in the global competition comprising 108 entries from over 300 students in 47 countries and territories.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=231250&ctNode=413)