Science ministry names winners of national student invention contest

The science ministry on Thursday announced the winners of the 47th National Student Science Invention Contest, selecting elementary student Park Ha-eul for the Presidential Award and middle schooler Hwang Hyeon-seong for the Prime Minister's Award.

Park, a fifth-grader at Daehyun Elementary School in Ulsan, created a door handle that operates a floor stopper without electricity or sensors. Hwang, a student at Daejeon Jijok Middle School, designed a wheelchair seat using a conveyor mechanism linked to the rear wheels.

Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robotics Division and chair of the judging panel, said the standout entries demonstrated how students identified daily inconveniences from the perspective of vulnerable groups and solved them through scientific inquiry.

All 299 submitted works will be on display at the National Central Science Museum's Future Technology Hall until September 5, with the official award ceremony scheduled for October 7.