From left: Kay Wu, Annie He and Linda Chen Photo: Supplied
A trio of Chinese Kiwi students from a North Auckland school have taken home a science award for their research into preserving flax.
Annie He, Kay Wu and Linda Chen from Pinehurst School, all 15 years old, won the Cambridge Science Competition's Country Award for identifying limewater as an effective preservative.
Inspired by kaitiakitanga, a Māori term meaning guardianship and protection of the natural environment, the team aimed to find out an efficient way to preserve traditional Māori flax artifacts.
The group identified limewater, sodium bicarbonate solution and sodium hydroxide solution as potential alkalis they wanted to test.
Flax soaking in different alkalis, allowing the students to measure and compare the effectiveness of different treatments. Photo: Supplied
Using different cuts of flax, the team measured the change in mass of the flax before and after being added to the different alkalis, pH of flax before and after the treatment, the flax's fibre quality as well as their tensile strength.
The team found that among the three solutions, limewater minimised mass loss, maximised tensile strength and maintained fibre health during storage.
Judges praised the students for their cultural conservation and treatment of the flax in a sustainable way, according to the competition's website.
Team member Kay Wu said they chose the topic of flax preservation to spread awareness about the growing challenges in protecting cultural artifacts.
"This project deepened my scientific understanding and inspired me to become a more eager learner," Wu said.
Annie He said the limewater must be diluted to a safe concentration.
She said the team were looking forward to further investigating factors affecting flax preservation involving limewater, including optimum soaking duration, temperature, concentration of the solution and long-term preservation.
"We believe this method has potential to preserve flax on a larger scale, as limewater is readily available and environmentally friendly," He said.
"However, we don't recommend attempting this at home as we have only investigated the short-term effectiveness," she said. "In the long term, there may be different results."
Sandy Liu, a teacher at Pinehurst School, applauded the students' teamwork and dedication.
"Their efficiency and collaboration were outstanding," Liu said. "They treated the flax with care and respect, showing both curiosity and responsibility."
