5 December 1997 No egg on her face for this prize-winner!

Burnside High 7th former Anna Pilbrow has scooped top New Zealand honours in technology from a field of 35 entrants in the ECNZ National Science and Technology Fair decided yesterday in Auckland.

Anna's egg-based technology exhibit, which had earlier won her first place in the Canterbury-Westland event, carried her to a cash prize of $3500 from ECNZ and a travel scholarship as one of two New Zealand representatives at APEC's 1st Youth Science Festival in Seoul, Korea, next year.

"Not Too Fowl", Anna's name for her project, is a technique for producing a long cylinder of boiled egg so that sandwich and bread roll makers can cut off evenly sized slices for an egg's entire length. This eliminates the problem of small-sized end bits being produced as in the conventional way of boiling eggs.

Research by Anna showed that high volume caterers, in particular, thought the "continuous egg" would be a great idea and a real time-saver. Other chefs said it sounded like a good idea too.

What is more, the yoke and white can have colourings and flavourings added, allowing cooks and chefs to indulge in all sorts of creative possibilities. Green eggs and ham may soon be true!

Canterbury-Westland regional chief judge Dr Jon Hickford of Lincoln University, who was also on the national judging panel, describes Anna as an "outstanding student" who has come up with a truly novel invention with immediate potential for commercial development. (Anna's already covered it with a provisional patent!).

Environment Minister Simon Upton, awarding the prizes and noting with amusement the pun in the name for Anna's project, said that with scientists contributing to the tangible wealth of the country the future of New Zealand would be in good hands given the calibre of work produced by the 1997 crop of young scientists and technologists competing in the Science Fair.

Anna's plans for the future include university studies in biochemistry starting next year.

Top honours in the "science" category of the ECNZ National Science and Technology Fair went to Rawiri Waru, a 4th former at Rotorua Boys' High School, with an exhibit entitled Waiariki Ara Whanui, a project related to the workings of geysers.

Well established as the country's premier showcase for young scientists and technologists, the ECNZ fair this year had 35 finalists from schools across the country - 12 from the South Island, a "pleasingly high proportion" said Dr Hickford.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand