“It is because modern education is so seldom inspired by a great hope that it so seldom achieves great results.”
Bertrand Russell
Back in 2002, I entered my school science project into the National Eskom Science Expo. I was a busy teenager and rarely had time for things such as chores or bathing — despite my schedule, my mom still made me do them. Now, chores I couldn’t do anything about – unless I got my sister to do them, which was impossible – but using a little science and engineering I could figure a way around the bath issue.
Running a bath takes time; time that could be better used to get me to the next level in Mario Bros, a step closer to finishing my next greatest Lego build, or honing my fielding skills for cricket. When it was time to bath, I would often start running the bath and then return to what I was doing; forgetting about the dam which was about to burst. If I was lucky, and my mom didn’t burst into my room with her new towels that she used to dry the bathroom floor, I would return to find the bath about a centimetre from becoming the Zambezi falls or a bath filled with too much hot water that I would suffer first degree burns in order to drain it.
After failing to convince my mom or sister to run my bath for me everyday at 18:30, I decided to get someone or, rather, build something that could. I spent weeks, flooded the floor a dozen times, and spent R1000 of my mom’s money building the “BathMaster 2000.” It is a device that attaches to the mixer of the tub. Armed with a timer, a temperature sensitive switch and a level gauge, the “BathMaster 2000” could run the perfect bath, leaving you do to what matters.
Even though I could not get the prototype to work, my science teacher decided to enter me into the Eskom Science Expo anyway. My project won a bronze medal; however, that wasn’t the prize. The prize, really, was being able to interact with the judges—engineers who knew more than I did and were excited to help. They didn’t only judge the project but gave me some ideas and advice on where to make adjustments so that I could pursue a patent.
We never did because, well, patents are so damn expensive but I did pursue my dreams of becoming a scientist.
There are many reasons why I got into science – I’ve already written two blog entries on it – and this experience is another one. Being told that your idea is good by an expert, someone older and wiser gave me the confidence I needed to look past my failed attempt to stop soaking my mom’s carpets and continue on to a life in science. If I had noone to talk to or spoke to someone who was uninterested or unenthusiastic, I might have given up the dream and in doing so I would have been judged, harshly, because I would have judged myself.
Judge. Make a difference and inspire another young me or you. If you can, be a judge at a local science expo near you. In South Africa, the Eskom Science Expo is always looking for enthusiastic judges across a wide variety of fields. There is a lot of young talent that needs guidance and nurturing. Help grow the next generation of African Einsteins and help moms get their kids developing working ideas that won’t flood the house.
Follow the link to register for the Eskom Science Expo.
Cover image: http://www.scienceexpo.org
Loosely Translated 
Leave a comment