Raymond Wang, 17 from Vancouver, has won first prize at the world’s largest high school science fair. The event, sponsored by computer giant Intel, took place in Pittsburgh, Pa. on May 15. Wang received his award for creatong a new air circulation system to isolate and eliminate bacteria and fungi in aircraft cabins. The aim was to reduce travelers’ exposure to diseases. For this, Wang was given the top prize – the Gordon E. Moore Award.
Speaking with CTV News after his win, Wang said: “It’s truly amazing. After doing many national fairs, I’ve always wanted to be here. Not only that, but to be recognized as having one of the top projects is truly mind-blowing.”
Wang is a Grade 11 student at St. George’s School. Despite his youth, his system is to be put into commercial use. Wang’s system improves the availability of fresh air in the cabin by more than 190 per cent while reducing pathogen inhalation concentrations by up to 55 times, compared with technologies currently in place in most aircraft.
Quoted by Vancity, Scott Clary, science fair mechanics category co-chair and Lockheed Martin electromechanical engineering manager said: “Raymond’s work has significantly enhanced our understanding of how disease-causing pathogens travel via circulating airflow in aircraft cabins, and has also helped him to develop multiple approaches for reducing disease transmission in these types of settings.”
Wang was not the only Canadian teenager to do well at the science fair. In total eleven students won prizes, competing against 1,700 students from around the world. This included another Vancouver resident. Nicole Sabina Ticea, The Vancouver Sun reports, won $50,000 for for developing an inexpensive, portable testing device to combat the high rate of undiagnosed HIV infection in low-income communities. Ticea is aged just 16.
