Bright Sparks Awards News http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/news/ ETITO 2010 Media savvy Bright Spark! http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/media-savvy-bright-spark/ Last year Kevin Huang appeared on TV a total of 3 times, and it's still continuing!  On Tuesday last week he was interviewed by 'Asia Downunder' for TVNZ.  Ross Petersen was also interviewed.

Kev came second place in the 17+ category last year with his Remote Controlled Lawnmower, and has just started his engineering degree at Auckland University.
 
The interview should be available online in the near future - we'll keep you updated.  In the meantime why not check out some photos of the interview on our Flickr account?

]]> Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:08:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/media-savvy-bright-spark/ Update from Taiwan! http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/update-from-taiwan/ Two Bright Sparks have returned from Taiwan victorious!
 
Nikhil Mahashabde from Mt Roskill Grammar in Auckland won first place in the computer science category with ‘SpyNik' - a computer monitoring hardware+software combo for parents, while Liam Ellis from Hutt Valley High School won third in the engineering section with ‘Avert' - an automatic posture sensing garment. 
 
"This is another fantastic success that highlights the value of the Bright Sparks Competition," says Ross Petersen, Manager - ETITO In Schools.  "By all accounts the students were fantastic ambassadors for New Zealand during their stay in Taiwan - wowing the audience by performing a haka at the farewell ceremony!"
 
"The win shines a spotlight on the calibre of our nation's school students, as the pair were up against 250 other participants from around the world," adds Ross.  This isn't the first time Bright Sparks have made their mark in Taiwan,  last year first and second place in the engineering category went to two Bright Sparks also.
 
The Royal Society of New Zealand sponsored and organised for the pair to attend the science fair, as the result of the pair's performance in Realise the Dream.

]]> Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:35:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/update-from-taiwan/ Another year, another set of fantastic wins for Bright Sparks! http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/another-year-another-set-of-fantastic-wins/ With the Bright Sparks Competition well-and-truly finished for another year, it's time to announce some of the great follow-on successes that Bright Sparks Competition winners have had as a result of their inventions.
 
Liam Ellis, who placed first in this year's Bright Sparks Competition 17+ category, is heading to the Taiwan International Science Fair, accompanied by Nikhil Mahashabde who placed third-equal in the 17+ category.
 
Kevin Huang, the audacious inventor who pestered the Prime Minister for sponsorship and managed to get two TV appearances for his invention has won a trip to China for the Beijing Science Fair.
 
All three of the talented inventors secured these sought-after travel prizes as a result of winning a place in The Royal Society's 'Realise the Dream' programme, which they were nominated for based on their inventions in the Bright Sparks Competition.
 
The Realise the Dream programme consists of a week of educational visits to technology companies and educational institutions, and is designed to inspire some of the country's brightest sparks to commit to a career of invention and technology.
 
You can see a Herald article about this year's Realise the Dream programme here.

]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:29:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/another-year-another-set-of-fantastic-wins/ Bright Sparks in the limelight http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/bright-sparks-in-the-limelight/ Some Bright Sparks finalists have already captured the attention of the media.

]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:50:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/bright-sparks-in-the-limelight/ The votes are rolling in... http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/the-votes-are-rolling-in/ Keen to find out how many votes have been cast for the Bright Sparks People's Choice Award?

]]> Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:46:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/the-votes-are-rolling-in/ Bright Sparks has its first winner already! http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/post-two/ Ross Petersen normally does the judging – not the winning! Nevertheless, the enigmatic leader of Bright Sparks  recently scooped-up a Subject Leadership in Technology Education Award from Technology Education in New Zealand [TENZ].

“It’s a complete surprise!” says Ross. “As the first ever industry recipient, I’m honoured to be recognised by my counterparts in the education field.”

In his role as Training Manager for all of ETITO’s ‘in schools’ activity, Ross manages all aspects of the Bright Sparks programme including the Competition and Awards, the National Certificate in Electronics [Level 3] programme and the online ‘Hub’. He also manages ETITO’s school-to-work transition programme which includes Gateway and the Electrotechnology 101 foundation certificate.

Before coming to ETITO Ross was a teacher at Aorere College in South Auckland. He didn’t know much at all about electronics until he made a deal with a rowdy classroom. They could listen to the radio, if they made it from scratch. “I didn’t know a thing about electronics, so I had to learn fast!” Ross adds.

]]> Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:46:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/post-two/ Watch the live update announcement... http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/watch-the-live-update-announcement/ We're going to be updating this news section as we draw closer to the announcement of the competition winners, so remember to check back regularly.  You can also sign-up for an RSS feed to keep you updated, or follow us on Twitter at BrightSparksNZ.

 

]]> Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:27:00 +1300 http://www.brightsparksawards.org.nz/watch-the-live-update-announcement/