Rainbow student captures Gold at international science fair

Brendon Matusch, a Grade 11 student from Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, has captured a Gold medal at an international science fair. He is among 135 national science fair winners from around the world competing at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Ireland this week.

Brendon Matusch won the honour of showcasing his invention, a self-driving go kart, on the international stage by winning Best Project Award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair held in Ottawa in May 2018.

“On behalf of Rainbow District School Board, I would like to congratulate Brendon on his outstanding achievement,” said Board Chair Doreen Dewar. “When Brendon showcased his project at a recent Board meeting, we were absolutely amazed by the depth and breadth of his research. We knew he would wow the judges on the international stage. This is quite an accomplishment.”

“We are so proud of Brendon on his tremendous success,” said Director of Education Norm Blaseg. “What a shining moment to be one of the best young scientists in the world.”

In addition to garnering the Best Project Award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair, Brendon Matusch won a Gold Medal, the Platinum Award for Best Intermediate Project, the Excellence Award in the Intermediate Category, the Challenge Award – Innovation in the Intermediate Category, a Youth Can Innovate Award Intermediate, a $4,000 Entrance Scholarship to Western University, and the all-expenses paid trip to the European Union Contest for Young Scientists as a member of Team Canada-EUCYS.

For his project, “Development of a Level 2 Autonomous Vehicle Using Convolutional Neural Networks and Reinforcement Learning”, he not only earned international acclaim but also garnered a cash award of €7000 (approximately $10,000).

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Media Contact:

Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.