Sisters Emily and Ella Woods are finalists for a prestigious national Eureka Prize Award for their short film “Gas Busters” about lactose intolerance.
The hotly contested Award recognises the best short film that communicates a science concept in an accessible and engaging way and is dedicated to encouraging young scientists who will be future leaders in research, discovery and communication.
Ella, who is in Year 8, said it was estimated two out of three people in the world were not able to consume dairy products without experiencing gut discomfort.
“Milk is incredibly nutritious and is in so many foods such as coffee, ice cream and yoghurt but for many people they can’t enjoy it without experiencing bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or flatulence,” Ella said.
“These symptoms are caused by the body’s inability to properly digest lactose, the main sugar in milk. Many people don’t even know they are intolerant because they can consume small amounts of dairy products if spread throughout the day.”
In their three-minute film, the Brisbane sisters explain the science behind lactose intolerance, explore its evolution and present a simple solution that allows everyone to enjoy cow's milk.
Year 11 student Emily, said people could learn how to manage conditions like lactose intolerance by understanding the chemistry of their bodies.
“There are some things that are embarrassing to talk about but if we understand it we can be empathetic and help those who are suffering,” Emily said.
“As babies our bodies generally produce lactase, an enzyme which breaks down lactose into simple sugars which are easily absorbed by the body.
“Lactose intolerance happens when we stop producing lactase, or we don’t produce enough of it, and so our bodies can’t easily digest the milk’s sugars. Instead the milk passes into the large intestine where bacteria feasts on the sugars and produces acids and gases.
“If you don’t want to consume milk substitutes, the good news is that dairy producers today are using a range of techniques to remove lactose from milk products. The most simple way is to add natural enzymes to predigest it, resulting in a slightly sweeter tasting milk.”
The Brisbane students are competing with St Monica's College in Cairns and Warrandyte High School in Victoria for the University of Sydney Sleek Geeks Science Eureka Prize Award. The six high-school students will be flown to Sydney next month (August) for the gala black-tie Australian Museum Eureka Prizes Award Dinner where the winner will be announced.
For Ella, this could be her second win of the Eureka Prize having won the Award in 2015 in the primary category along with fellow St Margaret’s student, Georgia Souyave-Murphy.
St Margaret’s Head of Science and Technology, Mr Chris Dunn, said the students were keenly interested in science and had independently taken on the challenge to enter the Awards.
“St Margaret’s fosters a fascination with science through our STEM program and it is so exciting to see young women like Emily and Ella rewarded for their exceptional efforts. They took on a topic that is important and they have addressed it in an entertaining and respectful way. As a school we are very proud of their achievement and we wish them all the very best for the Award Dinner in Sydney,” Mr Dunn said.
Gas Busters and other finalists’ work can be viewed on the Australian Museum’s website at http://australianmuseum.net.au/eureka.