Dune, snail studies win pair scholarships

A 15-year-old Russell girl's study of dune plant growth has earned her a $1000 scholarship while a snail study has also earned a Whangarei student a $1000 scholarship.

Melanie Jones, a Year 12 student at Kerikeri High School, won the Northland Regional Council Excellence Award at the Far North Science and Technology Fair last week.

Melanie plans to use her prize to help pay for her studies at the University of Auckland starting in 2014.

Her project, Spinifex on Coastal Dunes, also picked up one of 10 gold awards presented at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri on Friday.

Melanie investigated the effect of fertiliser on the growth rates of spinifex, a native plant which traps sand to help build and preserve dunes, at Russell's Long Beach.

She planted 60 spinifex plants and monitored their growth for 10 months with and without fertiliser.

Her project was one of 147 science fair entries involving 196 students from 12 Far North schools. The fair is sponsored by Top Energy and organised by Far North science teachers.

Studying snail behaviour has won Lucy Wojcik the Consistent Excellence Award at the Central Northland Science and Technology fair.

The Pompallier Catholic College student investigated temperature's influence on snail behaviour. The 17-year-old found snails preferred cooler temperatures, even ahead of their desire for food.

She also won the fair's Statistical and NorthTec Awards, plus the Outstanding Experimental Technical Award, Applied Science Award and the Investigation section's Highly Commended award for her age group.