Eskom hands bursary to promising engineering student

15 May 2013 News

Eskom has awarded a full bursary to student Hearn Johnson to study engineering at the University of Witwatersrand, on the strength (literally) of the prosthetic hand he invented and entered into the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists.

The young engineer, a graduate of Hoërskool Drie Riviere in Vereeniging, spent 11 months developing the prosthetic hand to help lower-arm amputees who cannot afford expensive prosthetics. The prototype provides bilateral hand function through four moveable fingers, an opposable thumb and a moveable wrist, and is capable of picking up an impressive 40 kg.

After winning a gold medal at the Eskom Expo’s National Finals, Johnson and his hand flew to Pennsylvania, USA to compete in the Intel ISEF science fair, where he garnered an impressive third place in the mechanical and electrical engineering category.

The young man is a big fan of the Eskom Expo and believes it is a great breeding ground for young talent in the science fields and that it exposes learners to the exciting opportunities available in the science, technology, engineering, maths and innovation (STEMI) fields.

“The science fair gives you the chance to take what you have learnt at school and apply it in the real world, which is really fun and can be that challenge you really need to inspire you to want to excel in maths, science, biology and other school subjects which will one day be necessary to enter the career of your dreams,” he says.

Johnson hopes to work for Eskom in research and development once he graduates.

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