Two Hungarian students will take part in the world’s largest science competition for high schoolers, the ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair), held from May 10 to 16 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, the Hungarian Association for Innovation informed MTI.
This year, Bálint Raposa, a student at the Aszód Lutheran Petőfi Secondary School, Elementary School, and Dormitory, will compete with a project focused on improving battery performance, while Ákos Vida, from the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor Bilingual Baptist Secondary School in Budapest, will present a project aimed at enhancing three-dimensional (3D) printing.
Bálint Raposa boosts battery performance by using novel materials. In his project, he replaces traditional cathode materials in lithium-air batteries with aerogels. The carbon gel produced through pyrolysis and its graphene oxide-modified variant significantly increase battery capacity compared to traditional activated carbon cells.
Ákos Vida tackled a common issue in 3D printing: the weak bonding between printed layers. His developed method involves a special motion of the 3D printer’s nozzle, which effectively “pinches” the two layers together, reheating and fusing them more effectively.
At this year’s ISEF, nearly 1,800 high school students from more than 60 countries will compete across 22 categories for prizes totaling over 9 million dollars. The Hungarian delegation is led by Zsófia Pazsák, Deputy Executive Director of the Hungarian Association for Innovation.
The Hungarian participants earned their place at the international competition thanks to their outstanding performance at the National Scientific and Innovation Olympiad, organized by the Hungarian Association for Innovation.
The ISEF was launched in 1950 by the Society for Science & the Public, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, to highlight the importance of achievements in mathematics and science, and to encourage millions of high school students to conduct research and develop inventions that positively impact our daily lives.
(MTI)
