The brief
Every SSS1 and SSS2 student was asked one question in September: what problem in Akwa Ibom could science help solve? Teams of three had eight weeks, a small budget and the run of the labs after school.
The winners
First prize went to a solar fish dryer built from old window frames, which dried catfish in half the time of open-air drying. Second prize went to a sand and charcoal water filter, tested on samples from three village wells.
We did not want volcanoes made of baking soda. We wanted problems from home, and they delivered.
What the judges said
The judges praised the testing as much as the ideas. Several teams had changed their designs after early results, which is exactly how real science works.
What comes next
The two winning teams will present at the state schools science exhibition in February, and the solar dryer team has been invited to demonstrate at a fishing cooperative in Ibeno.
People and events in this story are examples for this demo.