Zavier Simard, a Grade 8 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, recently won the Sudbury Regional Science Fair and is going to the Canada Wide Science Fair, which wraps up in Ottawa on May 31.
His project, “VAWT 2WATT,” an exploration of wind turbines in electric vehicles, captured the imagination of the judges and won the prize.
“The goal was to analyze the possibilities of replenishing EV batteries using a wind turbine which would be mounted on the car, and to find the best way to do it by creating and testing a simulative prototype,” Zavier explained. “I believed in the importance of this project to help increase the range and efficiency of EVs, and to help broaden our path to a healthier planet.
I designed, three dimensionally printed and assembled a functional wind turbine, gearbox and wind ramp. Using these parts in combination with a DC generator, I measured the performance and power output of the generator and wind turbine with different gears, wind speeds and with and without the wind ramp.
“In the end using no gears was the most effective, generating 27W. The wind ramp greatly improved the power output of every gear ratio.”
Zavier said while his experiment is promising, to test how it really works, he needs more testing with more advanced technology.
The Grade 8 student said he found his love of science at a young age when he realized it answered most of his questions about the world.
“That’s what truly captivated me,” he said. “Nowadays, I’m thinking of all the ways we can use science to make our world a better place.”
Asked why he chose this particular project, Zavier said, “I would like to credit my parents for helping me develop this project idea. Initially choosing your project is a crucially important part of the science fair. Without a project which has a purpose that motivates you, it would be extremely difficult to move past the obstacles.”
The young scientist also wanted to tackle an experiment that could have real-world impacts on a big challenge facing humanity.
“I also wanted to help tackle a dominant problem within our community — climate change. I made sure to pick a novel subject which I could learn about while doing,” Zavier said. “Seeing the recent surge in EVs, I wanted to help increase their range and efficiency to help make them more reliable. I thought of many ways to do this, either by reducing their energy consumption, or re-using their lost energy.”
Simard considers his win at the Sudbury Regional Science Fair his greatest accomplishment to date.
“Last year, I made it to the Sudbury Regional Science Fair with my project ‘Plant Vs Drought’. From there, I set a goal of reaching the Canadian level, the national level, of youth science. Reaching that goal this year pleased me very much. I hope that this accomplishment will lead to fun and success at the Canada Wide Science Fair. I love being able to help society, and hope to do it even better in the future.”
Ultimately, Zavier said he just wants to help make the world a better place.
“I aspire to lead myself to a position where I can help many people in various ways. This, and my passion for science, combined to lead me to an innovative project which could help the world. I do my best to make decisions which will put me in a tactical position.”
Simard’s plans for the future are wide-ranging. “I have interest in a lot of fields outside of science, such as business, sports, mathematics and engineering. In high school, I will be attending classes in these fields, along with the IB program. Past high school and education, I am not sure of what awaits. I could spend my time doing research, or doing things like running a business.”
Zavier Simard’s words of inspiration
“To anyone who has the time to volunteer, I highly recommend it. Other than being greatly appreciated by the people and community that you are helping, volunteering gives you an opportunity to get experience in various roles.”
James Stewart is a writer in North Bay. Inspire is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.