Canada’s got (eng.) talent
By Design Engineering staff
General UniversityCanadian teens recognized for their engineering vision
Solar Tracker
Closer to home, 17-year-old Eden Full received national recognition, and more than $95,000 in scholarships, for her solar panel tracking system. A Calgary teen at John G.Diefenbaker High, Full was recently named one of nine Canadian students to receive the $25,000 Millennium Excellence Award. Her invention also landed her a $70,000 scholarship as part of the TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership, which includes full tuition for four years, $7,500 a year for living expenses and employment with TD Canada Trust as part of the scholarship program.
Her invention, Dynamic Photovoltaics is a passive solar tracker that automatically orients photovoltaic panels towards the sun using bi-metallic strips to facilitate movement. Instead of the expensive, complicated and comparatively fragile motors and control systems found in conventional tracking devices, the materials in Full’s invention are cheap, environmentally-safe and commonly found in developing countries. In addition, the tracker is simple to repair and maintain.
In addition to the awards above, Full also recently won the 2009 Weston Youth Innovation Award and will travel to the national science fair competition in Winnipeg in May.
www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/innovationaward/
