Profile of Success - Alena Abramava. Ann Mukhortova
MAKING A SPLASH IN SCIENCE
Nature: mankind’s greatest ally but also its oldest foe. We have harnessed the power of wind and electricity but still tremble at the force of the earthquake’s might, the volcano’s unpredictability and the tornado’s destruction. Science has long struggled to predict the violent raging of the seas and skies, that it might plot a pattern, avert a disaster and save a life. Now two students in Minsk have taken that one step closer. The results of their project have won them a coveted place at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix. Not only that but their research brings us all closer to a more harmonious relationship with our unpredictable planet.
Alena Abramava and Ann Mukhortova are both 17 years old and studying at the Lyceum of Belarus State University in Minsk. It was back in September 2005 during a physics class that the pair first began to take an interest in what would become an 8 month project. “We were studying surface waves,” Alena explains, “and within that, the types of waves that exist.” These included solitary waves or ‘tsunami’. “Then we discovered that it was possible to create solitary waves under laboratory conditions.” This technology meant it was possible to study patterns and understand more about the differences between wave types, although the girls admit at first this was easier said than done.
“Before we could begin, the characteristics of solitary waves had to be fully understood,” Alena says. “Only then came the challenge of regaining and studying the wave profile. This was difficult.” The girls used three different techniques. First they tried photographing the laboratory wave from the side. A strive for greater accuracy lead them to abandon this and try a motion detector. However, it wasn’t until they attempted a third method of profiling the waves with the use of a sophisticated light sensor that the data became accurate enough to achieve real results.
Help on their project came from the school laboratory staff, without whom they would never have completed the project. “Our mentor helped us by giving advice, helping us to realize our ideas and providing us with equipment,” Alena says. It was also a reliance on each other and an understanding of their individual strengths that pushed them on.
“Everything was teamwork. One of us would create the wave, the other take a picture or use the stopwatch to measures its speed. I was more focused on the theoretical side, Ann had more ideas on the practical. This meant we always had two different opinions on how to solve problems and could find the solution more quickly.”
Finally, after a great deal of work, the procedure for regaining the wave profile was complete. “We were excited and amazed,” Alena says. “It was so unbelievable.” With the technique mastered, Alena and Ann are now able to answer complex questions regarding the difficulty in dampening tsunami waves and how types of solitary waves differ. The environmental applications of their project have caused it to create quite a stir in the Intel ISEF where it has been entered in the Physics category under the title ‘The non-linearity of solitary waves, or: What you can get instead of a pleasant holiday on the coast of the Indian ocean.’
Coming to the Intel ISEF has been an adventure for both Alena and Ann. “We have enjoyed the atmosphere of the competition,” Ann says, “plus the interest from the judges in our project. We have picked up a lot of useful experience, most usefully how to visualize information and how to make people interested in what you are speaking about.” The future of their project is uncertain, with both Ann and Alena moving on to further study in the Physics department of Belarus State University, but they would like to continue studying wave profiles. With the dedication and application they have already displayed in Phoenix it seems clear that Ann and Alena will go further in understanding the sea’s mighty power. And with our planet ever changing, such understanding has never been so worthwhile.
