Three Pinelands High School students achieved outstanding success at the 2026 Eskom Expo International Science Fair (ISF), held in Johannesburg from 29 September to 4 October, earning silver medals for both of their research projects.
The Eskom Expo International Science Fair brings together selected young scientists from across South Africa and abroad to present their research and compete for prestigious awards.
Alexandra de Roo (Grade 9) received a silver medal for her research into the impact of plant diversity on arthropod biodiversity in suburban environments. Her project compared biodiversity across four sites, including Rondebosch Common, the school’s Biodiversity Garden and two other suburban green spaces. Her findings showed that planted gardens supported an average of 14.8 arthropod species, compared with 6.6 in open green spaces, while natural fynbos supported the highest diversity at 17.2 species. The research highlighted the value of biodiversity-friendly planting, particularly indigenous species, while reinforcing the importance of protecting natural fynbos.
Uthmaan Razak and Huda Nacerodien (Grade 11) were awarded a silver medal for their joint project, Making and Testing Fuels from Tyres to Reduce Pollution. Using a small-scale process called pyrolysis, they successfully converted waste tyres into a combustible liquid fuel. They also tested a three-stage gas-cleaning system and compared the properties of their fuel with conventional fuels. Their results demonstrated that the fuel shared several properties with conventional fuels and that improvements to their equipment increased fuel recovery, highlighting the potential for converting waste tyres into an alternative fuel source.
Both projects had previously earned gold medals at the Cape Town Regional Eskom Expo, qualifying the students for the International Science Fair.
We congratulate Alexandra, Uthmaan and Huda on these excellent achievements. Their success reflects the curiosity, perseverance and scientific thinking that we strive to develop at Pinelands High School.
We also acknowledge the dedication of our Science staff, who continue to encourage scientific enquiry and create opportunities for students to extend their learning beyond the classroom through practical research and investigation.