Competing with over 900 students, 219 schools, 353 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project entries, and 80 countries, Project DANUM of Team Chromium Crusaders from Saint Louis University Basic Education School (SLU BEdS) garnered a Gold medal on the national level and a Silver medal on the international level during the Gizmos Global STEM Competition 2023 that ran from September to December 2023.
The SLU BEdS team consisted of six (6) senior high school students from the STEM strand who presented an innovative solution for removing heavy metals in the Agno River system with a mobile machine titled “DANUM: Desalination Biosorption through Nano Biosorption as a Utilitarian Local Scale Machine for Heavy Metal Reduction in Agno River.”
The project term “DANUM,” which translates to “water” in Ilocano, was thought up by the team, which included Mr. John Michael Daculan, Mr. Joseph Pinto, Mr. Jose Maricarl Alvarez, Ms. Shanaia Heart Abrigo, Ms. Ysabela Ricka May M. Ballesteros, and Ms. Ameluza Marie Azurin. The group constructed the STEM solution using the GIZMOS E-learning platform to create a prototype and simulation of the suggested solution. The team carefully identified the challenge problem after realizing it was one of the significant issues facing their community, given that Baguio City is situated beneath the Agno River System, which is contaminated by heavy metals, including cadmium and chromium.
The DANUM project operates on refined scientific principles to transform water from the Agno River into a potable resource for the local community. It uses nano-biosorption technology and materials from giant African seashells as a crucial component. DANUM’s mobility, reverse osmosis, solar-powered pumping, and nano-biosorption technologies are all combined in a compact, movable design, making it the ideal solution for accurately and efficiently addressing water quality problems in remote areas. In essence, DANUM offers a new technological strategy and shows how to apply state-of-the-art scientific ideas to effectively and sustainably solve the issues related to water purification.
The accomplishment of the Team Chromium Crusader at national and international levels illustrates the caliber of education with the mentorship provided by the SLU BEdS under their coach, Ms. Mary Rose B. Escala. Furthermore, the institution’s support through the Mathematics and Science Department has been the most significant factor in the team’s illustration of excellence in scientific acumen and creativity. With such support, the team’s accomplishment has been a notable turning point that encourages participation in STEM areas and the pursuit of answers to global problems among their peers and the larger community. The competition itself was rigorous and drew some of the most brilliant young minds from across the globe.
The DANUM project was remarkable for its scientific value and potential to enhance the water quality beneath the Agno River in Baguio City, Philippines. This project affirms the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation, which, at its core, is anchored on environmental and resource sustainability, and is contextualized on SLU’s mission of stewardship towards God’s creation.
Hence, the accomplishments of young Louisian scientists such as the Chromium Crusaders provide inspiration and optimism in the face of mounting global environmental issues. Their triumph in the competition highlights the need for funding education and encouraging youth to have an innovative and inquiring mindset within the curriculum. It also emphasizes the vital role that youth may play in developing long-term solutions for a brighter future which the Louisian students have demonstrated along the core value of competence and creativity. (Article by: Y. Ballesteros)