Mentor from BME helps Hungarian medalist at ISEF

Laura Ivánka won a medal at the ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair), often referred to as the olympics of high school science. She prepared for the competition with the professional support of Josh Davidson, an assistant professor in the Department of Fluid Mechanics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME).

Laura Ivánka, a student of the British International School Budapest, was one of three students who won first prize at last year’s Hungarian National Science and Innovation Olympiad, thereby qualifying for this year’s ISEF. Organized annually by the American nonprofit Society for Science, this international competition is the most prestigious of its kind, 

attracting attention from major American universities, from MIT to Stanford.

Laura competed in the environmental engineering category and placed 4th, which qualifies for a medal in the four-tier podium system. Her project, Dive&Clean, seeks a practical solution to the problem of coastal marine debris and microplastic pollution using special underwater trash cans that support seabed waste collection by divers.

His mentor, Josh Davidson, was born in Australia and graduated from James Cook University. In Ireland, he worked as a specialist at the Centre for Ocean Energy Research at Maynooth University. He has been teaching and conducting research at BME for seven years, specializing in renewable energy production utilizing ocean currents.

Rector’s Office, Communications Directorate