Palawan, known for its breathtaking landscapes and rich biodiversity, has once again proven itself as a hub of ingenuity and creativity.
A student team from Palawan brought home the grand prize in the
recently concluded Shell NXplorers: The Bright Ideas Challenge (TBIC) for their
revolutionary agricultural innovation concept which seeks to address the three
problems in agriculture – surplus, shortage, and supply of produce.
These bright minds have harnessed their passion for change and transformed it into a groundbreaking solution that promises to revolutionize the agricultural industry. With their unwavering determination and forward-thinking approach, these students have proven that age is no barrier to profoundly impacting society.
“Our project aims to solve three problems that we have identified
through our ocular surveys and observations in our community,” said Anna Leonora
Rodriguez, a member of the all-women team FarmHer Innovators.
Team FarmHer Innovators’ project consists of the Veggie Crate Tracker
which measures the weight and freshness of produce,
and the Mark-It App which notifies the market vendors about the description of the harvests and tracks
the surplus and shortage in each cluster.
Shell NXplorers 2023, a platform for young talents to be positive
agents of change, gathered ten teams identified as finalists out of the 30 that sent their proposals. Each team is focused on solving food,
water, and energy problems through innovative projects that are made
sustainably. The top five student teams who proposed the most innovative
projects that can help solve the country’s issues were also recognized in the
culmination activity last May 12 at Makati City.
Among the panel of judges was Business Advisor for the Office of the
Country Chair of Shell companies in the Philippines, Paulo Gavino,
Sustainability Manager for Shell Pilipinas Corporation, Stanley Siahetiong,
Senior Education Program Specialist of the Department of Education (DepEd),
Eliza Peralta, Program Director of the Philippine Development Foundation
(PhilDev), Zen Dimalanta, and the Senior Science Research Specialist of
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Engr. Marvin Dela Cruz.
“To our participants today, you are this country’s next generation of
scientists and engineers. Equipping yourselves with strength in these subjects
is tantamount to possessing the power to change the world. Serge Bernal, Vice
President for Corporate Relations of Shell Pilipinas Corporation said. “I look
to you to use that strength to become changemakers that help the Philippines
and the world move forward.”
For this year, the grand winner of The Bright Ideas Challenge (TBIC)
Team FarmHer Innovators, won Php 100,000 and their school also received Php
50,000 for the improvement of the institution’s STEM program.
The other winning teams
The first runner-up, Team Maomag from Tagbilaran City Science High
School in Bohol won Php 70,000 and their school also received Php 35,000.
Team Maomag’s Project Sawod-Lawod converts seawater into drinking water through a solar-and-wind-powered desalination technique. This prototype incorporates rotating mesh panels inside the container to increase the rate of condensation from the water vapor, providing the residents of Batasan Island with clean, safe drinking water.
The second runner-up team, Team Portabio from Gusa Regional Science High
School in Cagayan de Oro took home Php 50,000 and their school also received
Php 25,000.
The team’s project Portabio aims to
provide renewable energy on the go. This project uses wasted food to become the energy source for portable power banks.
One of the teams that received the
Merit Award which received Php 20,000 is Team Intellihenyo from Philippine
Science High School- Cagayan Valley Campus in Nueva Vizcaya.
Team Intellihenyo’s IntelliOutlet is
a device that can be used t
o remotely control electrical appliances at home,
anywhere, and using any gadget with Internet access. The project can measure how
much electricity is being used by an appliance and can turn it on or off
remotely using a messaging app called Telegram.
Another team given the Merit Award is
from the province of Palawan, Team Thinkerbells from Puerto Princesa City
National Science High School.
Team Thinkerbells’ Seament: Seashells
as Cement Powder aims to help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in
landfills by utilizing seashells.
The product Seament involves crushing
discarded seashells and using them as replacements for the raw materials, such
as limestone, used in traditional cement production.
On an international platform
Shell NXplorers also opened opportunities for winning student teams to
present and be part of the Shell NXplorers Student Carnival, the international
platform where Filipino STEM students can stand side-by-side with their global
counterparts.
The 2022 Student Carnival, held last November 17, marked the first time
that international Shell NXplorers student groups from six countries and from
the previous workshops came together to showcase their projects to create a
long-term impact on industries like agriculture, energy, and sustainability.
The two Philippine representatives were both from Philippine Science
High School - Cagayan Valley Campus” Team Agriserve, the grand winner of the
2021 Philippine Shell NXplorers; and Team El Terratix, the second-place winner
who also received an Award of Excellence in the Global Bright Ideas Challenge.
Since its inception in 2019, Shell NXplorers has trained 1839 high
school students and 269 teachers from 75 schools. To learn more, click here:
https://www.shell.com.ph/energy-and-innovation/make-the-future/what-is-nxplorers.html
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