December 5, 2005 ORT Argentinas competition winners enjoy London visit The three Buenos Aries students who won the inaugural World ORT Design for Sustainability Competition have enjoyed a sightseeing trip to London their first time in the British capital. Accompanied by their science teacher Silvana Perlmuter, Martin Micheles, and Matias and Federico Smeke managed to squeeze in visits to the British Museum, Science Museum, Shakespeares Globe theatre, the Tate Gallery, the London Eye and the musical We Will Rock You. Its been brilliant, said Matias. Ms Perlmuter who, with colleague Eduardo Brandes Ficher, supervised the boys competition project, said she was very proud of the students achievement. The students also gave a demonstration of their winning entry to the participants of the World ORT Hatter Technology Seminar at ORT House. Winners of the Design for Sustainability competition explain their project as Dr Gaby Meyassed, Head of World ORTs Education and Technology Department, looks on. The Didactic Kit to Study Bio-purifying Organisms had been picked by judges as the best of 16 high quality entries from Argentina, France, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Uruguay. Each entry had to submit a portfolio of their project, including pictures of the three-dimensional models they had built. Federico, who wants to pursue a career designing scientific computer programmes when he is older, said the idea for the project was the result of the threes brainstorming sessions in their schools Science Club. In Buenos Aries we have a big problem with pollution, he said. Last year we worked on the problem of air contamination, so this year we decided to work on water contamination and how to clean it up. The boys, who worked on the project during their free time, admitted they did not think they would win the international competition. The important thing was to take part, Federico said. The boys also had positive things to say about their school. It gives us the opportunity to do a lot of things that students at other schools cant do, like the Science Club, said Martin. These extra curricular classes are free at ORT, which is very important. At other schools, you have to pay to be part of such things which means that some students are unable to do it. They agreed that they were learning many valuable skills at the Science Club. We learn to work with other people, including people we wouldnt normally work with, such as students from other years, said Federico. So we get to make new friends as well as learn more about science. Their winning entry impressed judges for its green credentials as well as its inventiveness, said World ORTs Research and Development Coordinator, Dr Osnat Dagan, who organised the competition. ORT Argentina, which opened its first school in 1941, now has more than 7,300 students at two high schools and two Institutes of Technology.