Minor planets named after 3 Pinoy students who excelled in int’l science fair

MANILA, Philippines — Three minor planets were named after three Filipino students who received major award in an international science fair last year, the Department of Education said Tuesday.

This, after the high school students bagged “second award” in the Energy: Physical category of the 2018 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for their design and development of Solar-Tracking Arduino-Rooted PV Panels.

“The study aimed to improve the power harvesting and generating capacity of photovoltaic cells by designing and building a solar device that mimics a flower opening when the sun is out, tracks the sun’s movement, closes when the light source is no longer detected and responds to humidity and temperature to maximize power generation,” the abstract of the students’ study read.

DepEd said Eugene Rivera, Joscel Kent Manzanero and Keith Russel Cadores of Camarines Sur National High School in Naga City “each received a certificate identifying their very own minor planet and an orbital plot showing its current location.”

The agency noted that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory has been naming asteroids it discovered in honor of high school students who excel at science competitions since 2001.

The Intel ISEF, a program of the Society for Science and the Public, is the “world’s largest pre-college science competition.”