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2012 Kootenay Contraption Contest sets record for entries, solves looming energy crisis

KAST
By KAST
January 1st, 2013

How will we use less energy in the year 2050? That answer just became a little clearer courtesy the hopes, dreams, imagination and creativity of 143 Kootenay Boundary students.

The annual Kootenay Contraption Contest put on by the Kootenay Association for Science and Technology (KAST), GLOWS (Growing Learning Opportunities With Science) program received a record number of entries in 2012 and generated some truly unique ideas. Open to all grade 2 to 8 students across the region, students were given a full month to express their ways to use less energy through photography, sketches, models, videos and written submissions.

The incredibly imaginative contraptions ranged from simple and practical ways to automatically turn off household light bulbs, futuristic chore-doing robots, to an invisible “Ener-Bubble” that absorbs heat and kinetic energy. The tried and true “hamster powered TV” also returned once again as a contender this year.

Emry McGill from Ecole des Sept Sommets in Rossland took home the grand prize of an iPad, for his “ERC – Energy Recovery Cube”. Emry submitted an engaging video on the ERC, and how his renewable energy invention will help us use less energy in 2050. Emery’s video is available to view on the KAST Vimeo channel at www.vimeo.com/kast. All contraption entries can be viewed on the GLOWS Facebook page.

Along with the glory and honour of saving our future world, the best contraptions in each grade were awarded pizza parties for their whole class. See below for the full list of winners.

Supported by title sponsor FortisBC , NSERC, the Columbia Basing Trust and the Nelson & District Credit Union the Kootenay Contraption Contest is one more outlet provided by KAST GLOWS to allow the young genius residing in our local school to let their imaginations and creativity run wild. Given the increasingly sophisticated entries year upon year, you can rest assured, our future is in good hands and we’ll have clean green energy to spare come 2050.

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