Jan 29, 2021 After scooping a number of awards at the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists virtual awards, Greenside High School pupil Muhammed Hassen has big dreams of improving the safety standards in South African mines. Hassen, currently in Grade 11, won a gold medal at the virtual awards ceremony held last month. His prizes included a partial scholarship from Wits University’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, a special award for innovation in information technology from the South African Institution of Civil Engineering’s IT Division, a laptop from Babcock, and the Meiring Naudé Award for the most inspiring project. Eskom GM of Risk and Sustainability, Andrew Etzinger, says: “Eskom is very proud to be the main sponsor of the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists over many years. The Eskom Expo is one of the flagship CSI initiatives supported by Eskom. It is at times like these, that we see the value of our investment in STEMI education, unearthing such talented innovators in our country. During lockdown, many activities ceased to exist, however, the Eskom Expo continued to deliver a valuable service to our education system to ensure that we continue the momentum of developing much needed scientists and engineers for our country. Even through the lockdown, it’s reassuring to see inventions like that of Muhammed Hassen’s, which, with the right support, can be a game changer in mine safety”.