A Salisbury student has been recognised among the country’s brightest young innovators after winning a national award at one of the UK’s most prestigious science and engineering competitions.
Ravija Kohomban, a Year 10 student at Bishop Wordsworth’s Church of England Grammar School, received the Energy Systems Catapult Award at this year’s Big Bang Competition for developing a sustainable air filtration system designed to tackle urban pollution.
The competition, organised by EngineeringUK, celebrates outstanding achievements by young engineers, scientists and technologists from across the country. Winners were announced during The Big Bang Fair at Birmingham’s NEC.
Ravija’s project, called EcoBreathe, was inspired by so-called “City Tree” moss installations used in major cities to improve air quality. Concerned about the health impacts of pollution and the cost of conventional air purification systems, he designed a solar-powered device that combines natural moss and activated carbon within a 3D-printed structure.
Judges praised both the concept and the practical work behind the project, highlighting Ravija’s ability to turn an idea into a functioning prototype.
Representatives from Energy Systems Catapult said they were impressed by his methodical approach and his understanding of how individual innovations can contribute to tackling larger environmental challenges.
The judges also suggested the project had genuine potential for future development and commercial application.
Ravija was one of nine students from the South West to receive honours in the competition.
Among the other regional winners were six Year 12 students from The Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, who won the Senior Engineering Award for their project PropaGro.
The team – Ellen Rooke, Isla Rollett, Laila Golledge, Maja Nitecka, Olivia Hyde and Summer Tampling – developed a 3D-printed structure designed to protect young mangrove plants during their early stages of growth. The innovation aims to help tackle coastal erosion while creating sheltered habitats that support wildlife and improve the survival rates of mangroves.
Two other Thomas Hardye School students, Chloe Elliot-Tinsley and Rosie Viney, won the Energy Institute Sustainability Award for Poseidon’s Power, a small-scale tidal energy generator designed to be attached to existing coastal piers.
Their project explored a lower-cost and less intrusive alternative to large offshore renewable energy installations by harnessing wave motion to generate electricity.
The judges commended the pair’s teamwork, practical engineering skills and commitment to creating a solution with potential community benefits.
The Big Bang Competition is designed to encourage young people to apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills to real-world challenges, with projects this year focusing on issues including climate change, sustainability, energy generation and environmental protection.
Dr Hilary Leevers congratulated all of the winners and finalists, praising their creativity and determination.
She said the competition demonstrated how young people are using STEM skills to address some of society’s biggest challenges while helping them to see future opportunities within engineering and technology careers.
For Salisbury, Ravija’s success provides further evidence of the growing talent emerging from the city’s schools and highlights the important role young innovators can play in developing solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems.
Photo Caption: Salisbury student Ravija Kohomban received a national STEM award for developing a sustainable air filtration system designed to improve urban air quality.
