Student, 18, from Reservoir Hills wins award for scientific research
Meet Aditi Sookdhaw, a matric student at Star College in Durban who is using avocados for the greater good.
If there is anything we have learnt collectively as humans over the last decade, it's that plastic is the enemy of all things.
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We shouldn't use plastic straws because it kills the sea turtles. We shouldn't buy drinks in plastic bottles because they are never really recycled and it's just a terrible pollutant.
Across the globe, scientists and researchers are trying to find alternatives, replacements, and solutions to the plastic problem. But it's not an easy job and it takes a lot of hard work and effort to conduct extensive experiments along with hours of research.
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While most 18-year-olds are hanging out with friends, binge-watching Netflix or just doing the things typical teenagers do, Aditi Sookdhaw is changing the world of science.
Aditi is from Reservoir Hills and is a matric student completing her final year at Star College in Durban.
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This year, she took part in the World Innovative Science Fair (Wisf), an international scientific competition, which took place virtually from the 10th of July to the 15th and included different seminars and project judging.
Aditi entered the fair with her project which involved extensive research into the making of bioplastic from avocado seed extracts.
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And she was awarded gold for her incredible efforts!
I would like to thank the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists for giving me this opportunity to achieve more than I ever anticipated. Taking part in the Wisf virtual expo was different, but we were still able to present and show our projects to the same audience as if we were in an actual, live expo.
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Taking part in science expos and fairs all across the world, Aditi says it has helped her become more aware of the problems facing the world and gave her the opportunity to learn more about these issues as well.
Seeing as environmental issues are some of the biggest problems and should be a serious concern for all generations, she wanted to look for a scientific solution.
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Aditi chose to use avo seeds for her project, as they are a good source of starch without being a major food source, like rice or potatoes. With the large amounts of starch, she was able to create her bioplastic.
This project took five or six months of research and 11 experiments of which four were successful, so there was lots of trial and error. Hopefully, in the near future, my samples will be mass-produced to replace synthetic plastics, and in future solve a worldwide problem.
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Currently, her plans for after high school include going to university to study computer engineering while also furthering her project by testing how organic materials can be used in the process.
This generation needs to move past misconception: you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to succeed. Whatever field you choose, projects start with a basic simple idea and become more complex solutions. It is a lot of hard effort and you have to want to do it yourself. No one else can do it for you.
What an inspiration!
Main image courtesy of @Exposcience/Twitter