105

How a 12-year-old award winner conceived a revolutionary idea watching the tumble-drier

Bernadotte School student named Young Researcher of the Year

At the age of 12, even Leonardo da Vinci was still probably seeing the world in terms of how much candy he could stuff in his mouth.

But Pavan Venkatraman, a student at the Bernadotte School in the Copenhagen Capital Region of Hellerup, is no ordinary 12-year-old.

One day, the world of tumble-driers fell under his critical gaze, and he asked his mother why they didn’t use one at home.

Because they’re bad for the climate came the reply, and that’s when his brain went into overdrive.

Huge energy reduction
Young Pavan embarked on a mission to find a more efficient and climate-friendly alternative to the tumble dryer. He discovered that clothes can be dried efficiently with a fan that uses only 5 percent of the energy.

“The most exciting thing about my project is probably that I have made a moisture measuring system than can measure the moisture in the clothes, which stops the fan automatically when the clothes are dry,” he explained.

His work has earned him the prestigious title of Young Researcher of the Year.

A unanimous jury had no doubts that Pavan’s junior project was the best, crowning him as the youngest winner of the junior competition ever.




  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

  • Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark

  • Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that

  • Beloved culture house saved from closure

    Beloved culture house saved from closure

    At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding

  • Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.

  • Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.