In 2004, the public was once again invited to participate in the now sixth (6th) annual NIHERST/NGC Science Whizz Competition. As if it were possible to elevate the calibre of showmanship already exhibited in years gone by, this year’s contestants outdid the great legacy left by the whizzes of competitions past.

Contestants were challenged to demonstrate a scientific or mathematical principle in a 7-10 minute presentation that is both entertaining and informative. Entrants were judged on:

• originality

• scientific/mathematical content

• presentation (explanations, demonstrations)

• audience rapport

• showmanship 

A record one hundred and forty (140) contestants took part in this year’s competition. Participating schools included:

Aranguez Junior Secondary Bishop Anstey High School, East Bishop's High School, Tobago Brazil High School El Dorado Secondary Composite Five Rivers Junior Secondary Holy Cross College

John Donaldson Technical Institute Malick Secondary Composite School Manzanilla High School Palo Seco Government Secondary St. Jospeh's Convent, St Joseph Scarborough Secondary The University School

Related Links Overview Science Whizz 2007 Science Whizz 2006 Science Whizz 2005 Science Whizz 2004 Science Whizz 2003

One of the unique features of the Science Whizz competition is its emphasis on idea development. At the Ideas Workshops, which were held before the preliminary screening got on its way, contestants were given assistance on idea generation, showmanship and rapport with the audience. Thirty-five (35) individuals, 27 juniors and 8 seniors, made it to the semi-finals and16 made it to the gruelling finals. Unfortunately, for the first time, no seniors were given the judges’ nod of approval.

The "Developing Your Ideas" coaching session is relatively new to the Science Whizz programme. First introduced in 2003, it affords finalists the opportunity to further enhance their performance. Performances are video taped, re-played and the fine points of items such as articulation, dramatic presence and diction are analysed.

This year’s Science Whizz finalists and their presentations were as follows:

Bishop Anstey High School	Margaret Thairu	The Story of the Apple
Brazil High School	Shekinah Gardener	Matrix
	Precious Gilbert	Algebra
	Cynthia Suruijlal	Fibonacci Sequence
Holy Cross College	Johann Auguste	Bending Strips
	Sharlon Matthew	Electoplating
St. Joseph’s Convent, St. Joseph	Tyann Henry	What is Propulsion
	Luvette Gunning	Airbags
	Shemika George	Role and Function of Blood
	Maria Ferdinand	Chemistriella
Scarborough Government Secondary	Ashelle Edwards	My Best Friend Bert
	Emmanuel Stewart	Mr. Confidence
	Arita Edmund	Magic Powder
	David Edmund	The Case of the Weekly Maintenance
Palo Seco Government Secondary School	Devona Charles	Nine Times Table

The Science Whizz Awards Function was held at the National Science Centre on Friday 4th June 2004. All Finalists received Certificates of Participation and special incentive prizes were awarded to those individuals who did not make it into the top three places. This year also featured a special prize in Petroleum and Energy sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (Trinidad & Tobago Section). However, the prize remained unclaimed as none of the presentations were suited to such a prize.

Other special prizes were presented and they included:

Presentation that could be used for Innovative Teaching of A Concept	Margaret Thairu	$ 2 000.00
Most improved presentation from Screening To Finals	Johann Auguste	$ 500.00

The decision for the judges was a difficult one, since a high calibre of showmanship was exhibited across the board. In the end, the following show-persons had that extra “oomph” that helped nudge them ahead of the other finalists:

Mathematics Juniors

1st	David Edmund	$2000.00	David Edmund: The Case of the Weekly Maintenance
2nd	Devona Charles	$1500.00
3rd	Shekinah Gardner	$1000.00

 Science Juniors

1st	Maria Ferdinand	$2000.00	Maria Ferdinand: Chemistriella
2nd	Shimeka George	$1500.00
3rd	Arita Edmund	$1000.00

At the Awards Function, Mr. Clarence Mitchell, NGC Director, expressed his joy at how the quality of the presentations had grown from strength to strength over the years, but lamented the fact that no Seniors had made it to the finals. This was an area that needed some attention in the future.

Mrs. Maureen Manchouck, President of NIHERST, in her address to the gathering at the function, spoke about some of the future plans for NIHERST, including a spin-off of the competition, "Science Whizz - The television series". For this series, some of this year’s presentations and a few of last year’s

View other Winners' Lists

• 2005

• 2003

• 2002

• 2001

Written June 2004

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