By: Mary Therese H. Budomo

Malycka Roz Rentuza and Hannah Nicole Gaudiel, members of the Enthusiastic Inventors and Sci-Tech Innovators (EINSTEIN) Club of Philippine Science High School - Central Visayas Campus (PSHS-CVisC), emerged as the Grand Champion in this year’s Wyeth Nutrition Kid Innovators Grand Finals.  

St. Scholastica’s College-Manila and Baguio City High School were among the top three finalists together with PSHS-CVisC. Philipine Science High School-Ilocos Region Campus (PSHS-IRC) and Catholic Filipino Academy-Quezon City completed the top five finalists.

Each of the top three winning entries received a cash prize of One Hundred Thousand Pesos, a trophy, and a science-and-technology showcase worth One Hundred Thousand Pesos for their partner school.

The awarding was held during the Wyeth Nutrition National Kids’ Innovation Day last September 23, 2016 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City. EINSTEIN Club Adviser and PSHS-CVisC Research Unit Head Mr. Benito A. Baje accompanied the winning duo during the awarding ceremony.

Their winning innovation entitled, “Development of Anti-Ripening Paper: A Promising Approach in Reducing Fruit Spoilage” was instigated by the high-rate of post-harvest losses brought by fruit spoilage in the Philippines and other tropical Asian countries. Rentuza and Gaudiel plan to test their innovation on other fruits, vegetables, and crops to check its effectiveness, and to explore other possible applications of this technology.

The Search for the Wyeth Nutrition Kid Innovators is a nationwide contest that seeks to recognize, honor, and celebrate outstanding kid innovators and their achievements in their journey to innovation. It is open to students aged nine to fourteen who are required to submit an innovative science-related project of their creation. It is sponsored by Wyeth Nutrition and implemented by the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology.