Lambrick Park student Vicki Kleu, 16, won a silver medal last week at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Lethbridge, Alta.
Up against hundreds of other bright students from across the country, Kleu’s fully biodegradable adsorbent oil spill pads won her prizes worth $8,800, including entrance scholarships to UBC, Dalhousie University, University of Ottawa and Western University.
This was Kleu’s third consecutive year representing Vancouver Island at the national science fair.
The Grade 11 student spent less than $10 on materials building the pads, which she’s hoping to manufacture and sell to marinas.
Unique to her product is up to 95 per cent of the oil collected can be recovered, and the pads are fully biodegradable.
Kleu and her science fair mentor, Gordon Head middle school teacher Cheryl NIgh, are in the process of patenting the technology.
kslavin@saanichnews.com