High school students make one-of-a-kind inventions

The average high school student’s triumphs usually include making it out of Calculus class alive, finding a half-decent date for prom, being admitted to their college of choice, and successfully avoiding 9Gag to study for final exams.

 

But some students from Rizal High School in Pasig and Ramon Magsaysay High School in España are not your average high schoolers. A number of them actually have some innovative inventions to their names—which is more than anyone can say for the common teenager.

 

A Jan. 29 episode of GMA News TV’s “Good News” thoroughly impressed viewers by featuring these young prodigies and their amazing inventions.

 

Marvin Robin, a senior at Rizal High School, and his group mates responded to the local dengue outbreak by formulating a vanillin-based lotion to repel mosquitoes, minus all the chemicals that commercial mosquito repellents use.

 

“Less po ang chemicals. Good for all types of skin, even dry, oily or sensitive, applicable po siya,” Robin shared.

 

Meanwhile, his schoolmates Sophia Garduno and Dustin Ferrera managed to create construction materials out of unlikely products.

 

In Garduno’s case, she and her group mates saw choice material in the water hyacinth, an aquatic plant that clogs rivers and thereby causes floods.

 

“Naisip ko na if this certain plant is called a pathetic pest why not change it to a prolific provider by tapping it as a component sa concrete blocks,” Garduno said.

 

She then explained how the fibers from the water hyacinth, when mixed with cement, actually make for more durable concrete blocks.

 

Ferrera, on the other hand, decided to use oyster and mussel shells and coal ash to create tiles.

 

“Ang oyster at mussel ay known na rin po bilang substitute na material para sa construction. ‘Yung coal ash naman po, sa ‘min, bago lang po ‘yun,” Ferrera said.

 

The students discovered through research that the use of coal ash could actually increase the durability of the tiles that they create.

 

The students’ physics teacher and media adviser Marissa Tadeja beamed with pride, saying, “Sila mismo nag-conduct ng investigation. Ang maganda dun naging aware sila kung ano ang naging basic na kailangan sa society.”

 

Tadeja added, “Natutuwa ako kasi at their young age, na-encourage na sila tumulong sa society.”

 

Meanwhile, at Ramon Magsaysay High School, Albert Tongco and his group mates have created a device to minimize household fires caused by appliances that were left running.

 

“Ngayon sa pamamagitan ng cellphones pwede na patayin ang kuryente sa bahay para hindi sila ma-bother na magkasunog sa tahanan nila,” Tongco explained.

 

The device, which according to Tongco is still in the prototype stage, works such that one can turn off appliances left running at home by calling the device, which is fitted with a SIM card. Once the call is made, the device automatically turns off the appliance that it is connected to.

 

It is quite an impressive invention, especially coming from a group of high schoolers. It’s no surprise that they’ve received recognition in national and international science competitions.

 

“Matagal ko na pong hinahangaan ang mga batang ito. Sa kabila ng aming kalagayan sa public school ay nakakarating sila sa international [arena], at kami ay nakikipag-compete ‘di lang sa mga public school kundi sa lahat ng private school, at we excel,” shared Nelia Lardizabal, head of the school’s Science and Technology Department.

 

These students have certainly risen above the crop to achieve things beyond their years. But for Tongco, all he did was put his talents to good use.

 

“Kung meron silang talent at skills na pwedeng ibahagi sa iba gamitin nila ’yun ng tama para makatulong sa mga tao, ’di para makasakit or maka-harm sa iba,” the young inventor said. –KG, GMA News Tune in to GMA News TV every Sunday at 8:00 PM for the week's most inspiring stories on "Good News," anchored by Vicky Morales. Like Good News on Facebook: