Taupō's Waipāhīhī School wins GNS science competition

GNS Science's Dr Anya Seward with two of the winning Waipāhīhī School students, Kauri Crabb (left) and Maia Gray (right) / Amplify

A prize-giving celebration was held this month for primary school children who demonstrated outstanding application of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) knowledge in a competition sponsored by GNS Science.

The GNS Science Geothermal Science Competition ran throughout June and July in the lead-up to New Zealand Geothermal Week 2023.

The challenge: explain how natural geothermal features are interconnected with human uses of geothermal resources, including electricity generation.

The competition was open to schools in the Taupō Volcanic Zone, which runs from the volcanoes of the Central Plateau through to Whakaari/White Island, taking in the Taupō, Rotorua, Kawerau and Whakatane districts.

Sixteen entries were received, with more than 70 students getting involved.

GNS Science geothermal geophysicist Dr Anya Seward said the competition was a great way for GNS Science to connect with the community.

“We live in the geothermal heart of New Zealand, where we see the steam every day, and there are so many STEAM principles we apply at GNS Science to understand these systems that students can learn about at school.

“The beauty of working in science is that we are always seeking to understand new things about our geothermal systems.”

Dr Seward says the winning entries displayed plenty of evidence of inquisitive minds.

This year’s entries included 3D models of geothermal power stations and surface features, a paper mâché model giving an overview of geothermal energy within the Taupō Volcanic Zone, the use of the computer game Minecraft to create a geothermal power station, and a suite of hand-drawn cartoons showing the energy’s journey from the centre of the earth to people’s homes and cow sheds.

The winning entry, by the Waipāhīhī Geothermal Geniuses, was a model made from different materials with an accompanying QR code linking to a video explaining how geothermal energy is sourced and transformed into electricity.

The team of Waipāhīhī School year five and six students- Kauri Crabb, Maia Gray, Eva Higgie, and Blair Tom -crafted an entry that included a power station, complete with a cooling tower, cyclone separators, a turbine, a switch yard and power lines, all sitting above a geothermal reservoir.

Maia Gray said with support from teacher Moira Marcroft, the group did a Google search for geothermal power station components.

Kauri Crabb, wants to be an astronaut. Her dad and Eva Higgie’s dad are mechanically minded and helped with the research.

“We learnt about the project at school and at home.

“Next year, my team’s entry will be more complicated.”

Higgie also placed third in the competition last year; this year, she and Blair Tom did much of the planning and speech writing.

The teams were given certificates and prizes, had morning tea, and then enjoyed a tour of GNS Science Wairakei Research Centre.

Tirohanga School’s ‘Tirohanga Tuis’ took second place, and Wairakei School’s ‘Geothermal Minecraft’ came third.

Judging the competitions were GNS geothermal specialists Dr Anya Seward and Mark Gibson, and Fiona Miller from Amplify, the economic development agency for the Taupō district, which hosts New Zealand Geothermal Week.

The schools received a year’s subscription to House of Science kits containing science teaching resources, and the place-getters also received vouchers to visit local geothermal attraction Orakei Korako.

Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald

Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.