Pia Thapliyal and Lauren Rebstein, both 15, have spent two years researching into how to make a diabetic-friendly orange juice, by creating a machine that shows whether the drink contains more or less than 5g of fructose and glucose per 100ml.
Lauren, being a type one diabetic, has had to use an app prior to her invention to count her carbohydrates during a day, with the results being generalised.
Both girls decided to experiment with ways in which they could measure how much sugar was in a drink, in an after school science club.
‘We chose to use orange juice because juices generally have a high amount of natural and hidden sugars in them,’ said Pia. ‘They are the ones that catch diabetics out the most.’
Over the two years, Pia and Lauren experimented with 15 different drinks and four models, their first being in Year 9 where they won the Big Bang competition for their research.
Pia said: ‘Model one was too big and you had to heat it up, which was dangerous.’
Their most recent model uses test liquids, where a drop of the drink is added and once the liquid changes colour, a button can be pressed on the machine.
‘If there is a sad face, it shows you that there is more than 5g per 100ml of glucose in it, whereas if you hit the button after two minutes, a happy face appears meaning it is OK to drink.’
This machine secured the girls a place in the final of the TeenTech challenge at the London Royal Society on 25 June, after applying online and making the top three in their category. The TeenTech challenge involves students having to complete original scientific research and use technology to convert their findings into a prototype.
Due to their data being of high quality, the girls were put into the Sixth Form category despite the age difference.
‘You have five minutes to present to the judges, who were in groups of two and three, and were all from different industries, then you have five minutes of them asking you questions.
‘We were quite nervous as they [Sixth Form] were a lot older than us, and they showed more intellect in their presentations,’ the girls said.
‘We were quite shocked.’
Dr K Marshall, head of Science at The Ladies’ College said: ‘It is competitions like TeenTech that inspire young people to really believe in themselves.
‘The standard that Pia and Lauren have achieved is outstanding and they have been chosen as the best in the UK.’
Lauren and Pia were awarded first place in the Research and Literacy category out of 150 pupils, and were commended on their research and assistance from multiple people.
These included college Sixth Form and teacher mentors, mentors from Guernsey Electricity, a mentor from Kodo Ltd. Guernsey, a mentor from the Alan Turing Institute in London and an Irish consultant from Accenture.
Looking forward, the girls will be aiming to complete the Gold Crest by developing their scientific research, and have been invited to Buckingham Palace this coming October to collect their prizes from HRH Prince Andrew.
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