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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Sisters Miriam and Ruth Turk show off their gold-medal-winning project on developing a 3-D printed solution for preventing conjunctival scarring during the 55th annual Manitoba Schools Science Symposium.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe asked, \u2018What do these rings look like?\u2019 We got to designing and we were intrigued at how these symblepharon rings are shaped, and how currently they\u2019re just little rings and they\u2019re not the ideal shape or the best we can do for the patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
The siblings, who attend Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute in Winnipeg and are interested in careers in medicine, won a gold medal at the 2026 Manitoba Schools Science Symposium on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Ruth Turk said they tested multiple materials while designing a new symblepharon ring \u2014 a medical device designed to prevent conjunctival scarring as a result of trauma, infections or other causes \u2014 that better fits the curvature of the eye.<\/p>\n
Using a model of the human eye, they concluded a ring made of polylactic acid, or PLA, performed best because it offered excellent rigidity and easy placement. Rings currently used by professionals are typically made of a more rigid type of plastic, the siblings said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the future, we could create kits for residents and surgeons for them to practice putting (the rings) inside the model eyes,\u201d Ruth Turk said.<\/p>\n
More than 350 students in grades 4 to 12 took part in MSSS, the province\u2019s largest annual science event, at the University of Manitoba. The three-day symposium, which also offered educational activities, concluded with Sunday\u2019s awards ceremony. Some students will advance to the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton in May.<\/p>\n
Grade 9 student Aadhi Chandrasekaran, who won a gold medal, started exploring new ways to predict wildfires using artificial intelligence, after last year\u2019s devastating season forced students from northern Manitoba to miss a science fair that he attended.<\/p>\n
Chandrasekaran, who attends Fort Richmond Collegiate, designed a camera-equipped autonomous ornithopter \u2014 a drone with bird-like wings \u2014 and two AI models to predict future fire trends and scan aerial images for ignition sources.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018What are traditional preventive devices doing, and why are they not working?\u201d said Chandrasekaran, 14, who was saddened when 2025\u2019s fires took opportunities away from some of his peers.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Aadhi Chandrasekaran shows off his gold-medal-winning project on an approach to wildfire prevention during the 55th annual Manitoba Schools Science Symposium at the University of Manitoba Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to kind of innovate my own new idea so more people can experience science fairs without having to worry about other things they cannot control.\u201d<\/p>\n Chandrasekaran\u2019s aim was to design an ornithopter that is a less expensive and more efficient alternative to traditional drones. The project investigated the ornithopter\u2019s wing mechanism to explore the relationship between wings and aerodynamic efficiency.<\/p>\n Chandrasekaran, who is interested in environmental science, said he hopes to one day manufacture his creation.<\/p>\n \u201cFor my conclusion, I determined my autonomous ornithopter can not only be used for wildfire prevention, but also just as an aerial device as its own, and can be used for the ecological monitoring of bird kinematics or any wildlife,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Alastair Komus, president of MSSS\u2019 board of directors, said projects that incorporate AI are an emerging trend at the symposium.<\/p>\n \u201cAI is so much in the news \u2014 all the tools that come out \u2014 and the students are learning how to use the tools responsibly,\u201d he said \u201cI think that really sparks a lot of interest in how they can apply that to the topics that interest them.\u201d<\/p>\n Scientists are going through challenging times, particularly in the U.S., while they face research funding cuts, censorship or disinformation campaigns.<\/p>\n \u201cDeveloping a scientifically literate society is critically important for us, and also engaging in those critical thinking skills as well,\u201d Komus said. <\/p>\n Science and innovation doesn\u2019t have to start in big labs, Chandrasekaran said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n A student walks with his project during the 55th annual Manitoba Schools Science Symposium Sunday<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \u201cYou can also be a young innovator and slowly start to tackle small problems that you think are important and try to put your own innovative touch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cA child might have a different view on something rather than a professor, which is why I think it\u2019s important for everyone to take something new and try innovating, or participate in a science fair.\u201d<\/p>\n Science is a very important component of education systems, Ruth Turk said.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if you don\u2019t go very far in it, it\u2019s very important to try to immerse yourself in it and just learn as much as you can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Chris Kitching Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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