Students from Wellington College have won the top prize for this year’s CRISiSLab challenge with their development of a wave detection technology.   

The competition, hosted by Massey University’s Joint Centre for Disaster Research team, challenges students to provide new solutions for a chosen topic, with this year’s focus on tsunami detection. The challenge is jointly funded by the Toka Tu Ake EQC, NIWA and Resilience to Nature’s Challenges.  

The winning students – Mihir Ojas Rallapudi, Alex Vautier and Brian Ngan – were awarded a month-long internship at Massey University’s CRISiSLab.  

“It was heartening to see the impressive calibre of students competing, particularly because of my own personal involvement in the development of New Zealand’s first tsunami monitoring and detection network (DART Buoys),” Toka Tu Ake EQC Head of Risk, Reduction and Resilience and competition judge Sarah-Jayne McCurrach said.  

“Toka Tu Ake EQC is pleased to be able to help give them exposure, experience, and the opportunity to learn about the technology behind our sciences, knowing that it can open the door to a world they may not have even thought about yet.”  

Twelve teams competed for the challenge, with students from St Bernard’s College, Hutt Valley High School and separate groups from Wellington College also named winners of awards.