PLC Sydney year 10 student Lily Rofail has reached the final round of the Australian Science and Engineering Fair (AUSSEF) for her clever submission on utilising the drag-reducing properties of shark skin to similarly reduce drag on heavy vehicles.
Cable, connection, and industrial automation specialist, LAPP Australia, has sponsored Lily, who hopes that her research can help the world's efforts towards Net Zero emissions by reducing the aerodynamic drag on heavy vehicles, thereby "lowering both environmental impacts and overall fuel expenditure".
LAPP Australia Managing Director, Simon Pullinger, says it's fantastic to see the next generation of Australian innovators coming up with such clever ideas, and pursuing STEM fields.
"If Lily's project is anything to go by, Australian engineering has a bright future. Her, and the other AUSSEF finalists have come up with brilliant, practical ideas that have real world impacts," he said.
"LAPP is committed to supporting the next generation of problem-solvers. Lily's project aligns with our values around sustainability and real-world engineering solutions."
Nature-inspired, future-focussed
Lily's project takes inspiration from nature to derive a solution that could be implemented on truck and heavy vehicle bodies to reduce drag.
"My project investigated the use of a new aerodynamic modification, namely shark-denticle-inspired vortex generators," explains Lily.
"The shark-denticle-inspired vortex generators used in my investigation are metal attachments inspired by the shape of nurse shark denticles (a shark adaptation that reduces drag in water). They were placed on the rear of the upper and side surfaces of a model truck and tested in a wind tunnel alone and in combination with a number of pre-existing modifications," she says.
"The results proved that the shark denticle-inspired vortex generators result in a significant and independent reduction in drag. The shark denticle inspired vortex generators serve as a solution that is easily transferable, cost- effective and can be applied to both existing and new heavy vehicles."
International competition
Lily will join 10 other students selected by AUSSEF to compete at the international Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) from May 10-16, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
"Last year's representatives performed brilliantly, and knowing the quality of entries from Lily and the other Australian representatives, LAPP Australia is backing the team to do well in 2025," says Pullinger.
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About LAPP
LAPP Australia is part of the LAPP Group, a leading global manufacturer of high quality German-manufactured cables, connectors, and industrial connectivity solutions for a broad range of industrial applications. LAPP Australia's 5,000 cables and associated cable accessory parts locally stocked for immediate despatch across Australia, in addition to 40,000 product lines delivered from Germany typicalally within two weeks.
The family-owned LAPP organisation, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, is renowned globally for its levels of quality, innovation and for its commitment to ethical values and service, qualities which it brings to key Australian markets.
LAPP has delivered its resources, expertise, and German top-quality standards to Australia at a time in the country's industrial development when such support is most needed to prepare diverse industries for a future in which they will use technology to compete cost-efficiently. The company offers a one-stop shop for highly integrated, efficient, and reliable systems which comply with the leading Australian, European, and American compliance and quality standards.
