Staff Reporter

Two Cape Winelands school learners have won an international research award for projects examining the use of artificial intelligence to detect tuberculosis and the ability of homemade masks to filter airborne micro-organisms.

Maria Manwadu, a Grade 11 learner at Somerset High School, and Reananetse Mbizo, a Grade 12 learner at Masakheke Combined School in Robertson, received the Research Excellence Award at the International Children’s Advisory Network Summit in Ireland.

The learners competed against youth research groups linked to institutions including University College Dublin, Case Western and Walter Reed University, according to the University of Cape Town.

Manwadu presented a study titled, “Can artificial intelligence detect TB from a single chest X-ray?”, while Mbizo’s project examined the “Filtration efficiency of homemade masks against airborne micro-organisms”.

Manwadu was mentored by South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative researcher Dr Sarah Nyangu, while Mbizo was mentored by Dr Carly Young-Bailie.

The learners are members of the Youth Research Advisory Group (YRAG) linked to the South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative at UCT. The programme works with learners from Somerset High School, Touwsriver Primary School and Masakheke Combined School.

It is supported by a grant from the UCT Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine’s Social Accountability Committee, which covers research materials and equipment.

“Community engagement is too often treated as an add-on to research. We have flipped that,” said SATVI communications manager and programme coordinator Kelvin Vollenhoven, who developed the programme.

“When you give young people from a high TB-burden district a genuine seat at the research table, they don’t just learn science – they help shape the questions science should be asking.”

Through the YRAG, learners review study materials intended for adolescents, advise SATVI researchers and receive support to design and conduct their own research projects.

Scientists from SATVI and partner organisations, including iThemba LABS, the South African Medical Research Council, local environmental health officers and the Breede-Gouritz Water Council, help the learners identify research questions and guide them through the research process.

“This shows what is possible when world-class researchers partner with learners in a low-resource setting, rather than simply studying them,” Vollenhoven said.

“We have both an ethical and a moral commitment not only to conduct excellent TB research, but to grow the next tier of TB researchers from within the communities where we work.”

The international award is the latest achievement for the programme, which has been gaining momentum since 2024.

During 2024 and 2025, participating learners conducted research in fields including biology, computer science, environmental science, physics and the social sciences. They also presented their work at regional and national science exhibitions.

At the 2025 Stellenbosch Expo for Young Scientists, participating learners received one gold medal, two silver medals, a bronze medal and two special commendations. Twelve learners submitted nine projects, with some working in pairs.

INSIDE EDUCATION

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