At the last Science Fair, held at the FIBES Conference Centre from 9 to 11 May, the cicCartuja – a joint centre of the University of Seville, the Higher Council for Scientific Research and the Andalusian Regional Government – launched the first edition of the Future Scientists Award with the aim of encouraging vocations and, more specifically, promoting interest in research; to highlight and favour talented young people, their teachers and their centres; to broaden the horizons of students with an interest in research and, finally, to foster appreciation and recognition for the scientific and technological sector in Andalusia.
After visiting the stands and evaluating the projects presented by the secondary schools, the jury unanimously agreed to award the prize to the project ‘Glasses for the blind’, presented by students from C.F.P.E. Ntra. Sra. de las Mercedes (Bollulos del Condado, Huelva). The aim of the device presented is to enable visually impaired people to move safely through the streets, avoiding dangerous situations (collisions with low tree branches, low awnings…). At present, people affected by visual impairment or blindness are only supported by the cane, which can only distinguish obstacles at ground level. The system emits different vibrations and warning sounds, a less intense one at 60 cm and a more intense and frequent one at 30 cm. It is also noteworthy that the device has been designed at a low cost, €3, so that anyone can purchase it.
The jury was composed of researchers Dr. Juan Pedro Espinós (ICMS), Dr. José Mª Ortega (IBVF) and Dr. Juan Cámpora (IIQ), each of them belonging to one of the three institutes that make up cicCartuja. The nine projects selected as finalists are listed in the table below.
The prize is endowed with a cheque for 500 euros for educational material. In addition to this cheque, the students of the Centro de Formación Profesional Específica Ntra. Sra. de las Mercedes will be invited to a day which will include a visit to the cicCartuja facilities and informative talks given by scientists from the Institutes of the Centre.
The jury, as well as congratulating and recognising the value of the finalist projects, made a special mention to the student Daniel León Periñán, from the Colegio concertado San Alberto Magno (Dos Hermanas), for his project ‘Music and DNA’. Daniel composed two musical works: one based on the nucleotide sequence of a gene from the bacterium Serratia Symbiotica. The other is based on the amino acid sequence of the human protein Histone 3. The audio files of both works can be downloaded from the links below.
