Two Otago school pupils are among the big winners at the Bright Sparks awards this week. South Otago High School pupil Mitchell Hollows (18), of Balclutha, was named winner of the supreme innovator award and the senior engineering award after inventing a laser tool he hoped would save the lives of thousands of native paua. This inspired him to develop the ''koru paua tool'', a laser that measures paua in a non-invasive way to help preserve paua fishing beds. Balmacewen Intermediate pupil Aaron Nelson (11) won the junior software award for creating a robot that can set the dinner table. The Bright Sparks Awards is New Zealand's premier showcase for tech-savvy young minds, in categories which include science, engineering, environment, and software.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 02, 2016 17:12 UTC