Technology Olympiad 2004
1 December 2004
Two young Pretoria high school learners have launched their engineering careers in style by winning the annual Technology Olympiad competition.
The competition, in its 10th year and organised by the South African Institution for Mechanical Engineering, aims to help reverse the country's technology deficit by developing the engineering skills of girls and boys from all sectors of the community.
In this year's competition, participants had to design, build and test a self-propelled device that could travel vertically up a pole.
The devices were tested to see which could travel fastest over a two-metre distance. Their load carrying capability was also measured.
Finalists were not only judged on the performance of the devices they had created. Their final marks also reflected the quality of their project reports as well as their communication skills during interviews.
The eight schools that reached the finals of the Technology Olympiad came from as far afield as Sekhukhune in Limpopo, Wynberg in Cape Town and Waterkloof in Pretoria.
In the end, Abraham van den Berg (Grade 10) and Peet van Wyk (Grade 11) from Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria overcame tough competition from seven other teams from around South Africa to win the Technology Olympiad 2004 title.
The winners each received a first year engineering bursary and an overseas trip during which they will visit various engineering companies. From digital design company, Autodesk, they received specialist mechanical design software, valued in excess of R60 000.
For more information contact Richard Smedley Williams, Autodesk, 012 664 8115, www.autodesk.co.za
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