Successful young scientists

The light comes on at the touch of a button - completely normal for us. "Millions of people don't have this luxury. Our "SalTech - Light for everyone" project aims to change this," explain Ty Stevens and Michelangelo Foschi, who came third in the chemistry category at this year's "Jugend forscht " regional competition in Thuringia with their special idea of using salt water to power street lamps.

Influenced by their seaside home in Dubai, they came up with the SalTech project idea, which generates light from salt water. "Our goal is a street lamp that works 100% with salt water," explains Ty Stevens. The chemical basis of the project is a galvanic element made of magnesium and copper. A magnesium electrode and copper electrode are placed in the electrolytic medium of salt water. An electrochemical cell is formed during the chemical reaction. "This leads to an electrical charge separation and the formation of an electrical potential between the two half-cells," explain the young researchers. "A Joule-Thief circuit developed in a long series of experiments transforms the resulting DC voltage into a higher electrical voltage."

Our goal is a street lamp that works 100% with salt water

Michelangelo Foschi and Ty Stevens ,11a

A total of 112 student from 15 schools and student research centers from Central Thuringia took part in the regional "Jugend forscht" competition, plus our two student as the only representatives of a German school abroad. The 3rd place is a great success that rewards the months of very intensive work of the two student from 11a. "Other participants have been working on their projects for over two years, so our third place is particularly impressive," explains DISD chemistry teacher Sara Karwounopoulos, who has been supervising her students since October 2022. Many lunch breaks were worked through to finalize the project.

The work paid off, because in addition to 3rd place, SalTech was also awarded the special "JugendUnternimmt summer school" prize, which means the inventors have been invited to the STIFT (Foundation for Technology, Innovation and Research Thuringia) summer camp. Ty Stevens and Michelangelo Foschi will be able to take part in special chemistry workshops here next summer.

The team from Dubai was met with great admiration at its SalTech presentation stand. "We received a lot of positive feedback. There were also skeptics, but in the end our project was very well received. The exchange with other participants was very interesting to find out what initiatives there are at German schools and how we as teachers can support our young scientists," says Sara Karwounopoulos. The student students also enjoyed interesting encounters with experienced chemistry teachers, as well as participants who attend science-focused schools. "It was impressive and inspiring to see the high-tech equipment in the other projects," saidTy Stevens. The young scientists already have ideas for the further development of the SalTech project. For example, they would like to produce a simple circuit from everyday parts for developing countries. "We are still experimenting with which electrodes are best suited and what properties the solution and the structure should have in order to create an efficient circuit," explains Michelangelo Foschi.

The two young scientists would also like to present their SalTech project in Dubai and the region. "We are currently looking for competitions to continue with the SalTech idea," says Michelangelo Foschi.

The two young scientists have big visions for the dissemination of their product. They want to visit small villages in South America and Africa to present and implement the SalTech project. "Many villages in developing countries cannot afford modern, sustainable energy technologies and do not have access to a stable power supply. That's why our invention is important. It will help to improve the quality of life in these villages with limited resources and introduce the concept of sustainability."

In total, over 5000 projects from the fields of technology, earth and space sciences, physics, chemistry, math/computer science, biology and the world of work were entered for "Jugend forscht" throughout Germany. Almost 1600 projects were submitted in the field of chemistry.

Further information on the "Jugend forscht" competition