A team from Willow International School in Mozambique has been named 'Best in Sub-Saharan Africa' in the Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition 2023.

Hundreds of students from all over the world took part in the competition, which gives students the chance to develop their passion for science and develop practical skills that complement their academic studies.

Cambridge IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and Cambridge 'O' Level students worked in small teams to conduct their own scientific investigations, with schools submitting their strongest entries to Cambridge International for assessment. In total, 151 teams took part.

This year's competition asked students to consider sustainability in their planning and to research a topic of practical relevance to their schools or communities, thus helping students to connect science to solutions for real-world problems.

The winning application was submitted by the team made up of Carla Zuleca Chissano, Christian Kelven Maússe Zicai, Lucas Machava, Malika Allure De Sousa E Nogueira, Shantel Massula Da Silva and Thumisse Ribeiro Manhiça Penicela.

The team's research aimed to find a cheaper and more sustainable way of removing the dye Methylene Blue from wastewater. Methylene Blue is a synthetic dye widely used in industry. It is a dangerous chemical which, when released from factories into lakes and rivers, kills aquatic life and poses a threat to public health.

According to the students, the conventional technologies that are used to treat wastewater with dyes are expensive and complex - so they identified the need to find a more affordable alternative to protect our environment and our health. They tested the effectiveness of using a perennial plant, Pyracantha coccinea, to remove the dye.

Describing the experience, the students said: 'We are extremely happy to know that we won the competition in Sub-Saharan Africa. It was a fantastic and challenging experience. Over the past nine months, our team has worked hard to achieve our goal of creating and expanding a relevant environmental project that could have an impact on the lives of millions of people. We wanted to raise awareness about water pollutants and develop a realistic solution that could be recreated on a large scale in several countries outside Africa. This opportunity from Cambridge International has increased our experience in environmental sciences and helped us to create a significant impact for our community and potentially for many others'.

Dr. M. A Hussain, Vice Principal of Willow International School in Mozambique, said: 'It gives me great pleasure to know that our school has won the most prestigious and competitive Cambridge Advanced Secondary Science Competition. We are very proud of our students for becoming the overall winners from Sub-Saharan Africa. My sincere thanks go to Cambridge International for providing quality education all over the world and for giving students opportunities to grow in a way in which everyone can shine'.

The team and the other Best in Region winners from around the world will now compete for the overall Best in the World award, to be announced in December.

Carolyn Tiller, Deputy Head of Cambridge International's Qualifications Development and Support team, said: 'It is a great achievement to win the 'Best of Sub-Saharan Africa' award and I would like to congratulate the winning students on their scientific skills and research, and the teachers who supported them. We asked the students to think about sustainability and the environment in their research and they embraced the challenge. I hope that this competition has helped them to see how they can apply their studies in real life and that it has inspired them to consider a career in science'.

The expert panel of judges included Dr. Helen Eccles, Dr. Elaine Wilson, from the University of Cambridge, Dr. Claire Malone, STEM Department Leader at the Lightyear Foundation, Professor Chris Huang, from the University of Cambridge, and Dr. Lucia Garcia Lecuona, a former Cambridge International student, now at AstraZeneca.

A communication from the panel said: 'The judges would like to congratulate all the schools and teams who entered the competition for their hard work and enthusiasm, not just those whose investigations were submitted for evaluation, but all those who achieved silver, bronze and participation awards. We were delighted to see so many excellent, well thought-out and well-executed scientific investigations. In particular, it was gratifying to see the wide range of topics chosen by the teams and the motivation behind them, often based on local issues with a wider sustainability impact'.

There are two entry periods for the 2023 Cambridge Advanced Secondary School Science Competition. Schools can enter the second entry period from July to October 2023. (letter)