HIGHLIGHTS-
- The 17-year-old students have been chosen to represent India globally for their project.
- According to CUSAT, Sarah and Devika are the only research team from Kerala to be selected for IRIS.
- They created a bio-mimicking superhydrophobic and oleophilic membrane based on heart-shaped Taro leaves.
Every year, a billion liters of oil are spilled in oceans due to various reasons, causing severe damage to marine life. To combat this manmade disaster, two Kerala girls have come up with a brilliant project on the
Ocean oil spill.
Sarah Varghese and Devika Girish study in Class XII at the St. Peter’s Senior Secondary School in Kadayiruppu, Kerala. The Kerala girls have been chosen to represent India globally for their project. They will be presenting their project before the world at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Atlanta, Georgia.
Named one of the Top 20 Projects
Research completed by 17-year-old students from Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSATDepartment )’s of Polymer Science and Rubber Technology was named one of the Top 20 Projects in the Research and Innovation (IRIS) National Science Fair, 2022. According to CUSAT, Sarah and Devika are the only research team from Kerala to be selected for IRIS.
Project to combat the man-made disaster
Approximately 2.6 billion liters of oil are spilled into the water each year, damaging marine life. The students’ effort tries to combat this man-made disaster. Both the students worked on a project for oil-water separation. They created a bio-mimicking super hydrophobic and oleophilic membrane based on heart-shaped Taro leaves.
Project to protect the marine
Sarah and Devika got the idea of making the project while strolling down the road where they witnessed a man cleaning motor grease off his car’s windscreen with a Taro leaf. From there itself the girls thought of making a project on Ocean Oil-Spill. The project aims to protect the marine from the harmful oil spilled in the ocean. For this, the girls created a highly porous polymer membrane with outstanding oil absorption capabilities. Professor Prasanth Raghavan and his colleagues at CUSAT’s Materials Science and NanoEngineering Lab (MSNE-Lab) assisted them through the procedure.
