The Best Projects 2018
Get inspired by the exciting science, technology and mathematics related projects that students around the world have created! The StarT jury chose 10 nominees for the International LUMA StarT Award 2018 out of 500 projects. Three of the nominees won the main prize (the International LUMA StarT Award), which was handed to them by the Director General of the Finnish National Agency for Education at the International LUMA StarT Gala in Tampere on June the 5th 2018.
Below you can find the students’ project videos and their learning diaries. The age of the students varies from kindergarten children to upper secondary school students. Read more about the winners (including the jury’s comments), the prizes and the gala here.
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Winners of the International LUMA StarT Award 2018
Baret_Care, Turkey
In this project, the students designed an intelligent helmet for mine workers. The helmet measures for example the temperature, humidity and gas content of the surrounding air. It warns the worker if the levels change dangerously, and it reports the location and measured data to a central system and contacts an emergency number if necessary.
Project diary
EcoChange, Agrupamento de escolas de Alcanena, Alcanena, Portugal
These students wanted to raise awareness about environmental issues, energy sources and energetic efficiency. They decided to form their own club, EcoChange, through which they organized a range of educational activities, including an informative interactive drama and educational games for the younger students about conserving energy. The activities unite the learning community from elementary to high school.
Project diary
Jump to the Life at the Stone Age: Winter, Päiväkoti Piilometsä, Oulu, Finland
The children in the kindergarten Piilometsä learnt about the life in the Stone Age by living like people in the Stone Age did: the activities included dressing up, arts, writing, movie making, sleeping outside, collecting food from the forest, crafts and a visit to the University of Oulu. The project is a part of a three-year project studying a nearby stone age site.
Project diary
Rest of the nominees for the International LUMA StarT Award 2018 (in alphabetical order)
Automatic Parking Robot Plan, Grab Group vs Shovel Group, Suzhou, China
Drawing inspiration from the doll grab machine and a fork lift, both of the groups designed a parking robot for toy cars. But which one worked?
Project diary
#biopolku, Äänekosken lukio, Finland
During a course on bioeconomy, the students visited companies and educational establishments and did laboratory experiments. They also prepared and presented a talk in English to an international group and created an educational mystery path, #biopath, about bioeconomy for other students. Completing a bioeconomy related task on the #biopath gives the participant a hint that leads them to the next point on the path.
Project diary
Lemna Grinder, Waste Busters, Kocaeli, Turkey (the Public’s favorite)
The main aim was to do something about wetlands pollution. As the plant species Lemna minor absorbs water pollutants, such as heavy metals, it was used to design a water purifier machine.
Project diary
Programming Your Own Game, Jyväskylän normaalikoulun alakoulu, Finland
The students designed and programmed their own learning games that were then presented at the university in a national symposium and in the school’s own StarT gala.
Project diary (in Finnish)
The Galaxy, Curious astronauts, Şırnak, Turkey
In this project, a three-dimensional model of space was created in a darkened room.
Project diary
Tom Yam Kung, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Kindergarten School of Thammasat University, Thailand
The subject of study was one of the national dishes of Thailand. The kindergarten students learnt through inquiry how their dish is prepared. The theme was approached through arts, cooking, math and field trips.
Project diary
UV Alarm, Clube Ciência Viva ESDMII Braga, Portugal
The objective of the project was the construction of a portable prototype that can alert humans about dangerous levels of UV radiation.
Project diary
