"Well Done": SA Grade 11 Learner Wins R75,000 for Project Turning Invasive Plant Into Crop Booster
- Gauteng Grade 11 learner Rudra Patel won the 2026 Eskom Expo Top Senior Scientist award and a R75,000 prize
- His project used machine learning to test whether invasive Lantana camara extracts could boost wheat growth
- Social media users celebrated Patel’s achievement as a standout example of young South African scientific talent
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Source: TikTok
A Gauteng teenager stunned the room at the 46th Eskom Expo International Science Fair on 4 October 2026. Rudra Patel, a Grade 11 learner at UJ Academy Maths, Science and ICT School of Specialisation, was announced as the 2026 Top Senior Scientist — and walked away with a R75,000 cash prize.
The moment was captured on stage at the formal Grand Awards ceremony, where the room erupted in applause as his name was called. Patel was embraced and presented with a trophy in front of a cheering audience.
A project tackling two problems at once
What earned Patel the top honour was a project titled 'Machine Learning Optimisation of Invasive Alien Plant Extracts as Sustainable Biostimulants for Crop Growth.' The research combined laboratory experiments with machine learning to explore how varying concentrations of Lantana camara extract, a plant widely regarded as an invasive pest across South Africa and beyond, affect the growth of wheat.
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The project essentially looked at whether an ecological problem could be turned into an agricultural solution, using data science to sharpen the results.
Mzansi celebrates the young scientist
View the TikTok video below:
Viewers on the page were quick to celebrate the achievement:
@Cindysonline said:
"I want this woman to give me a hug. It's the hug that takes away everything bad in the world."
@Anitha wrote:
"Well done son, making your parents proud, God bless you always."
@Ace commented:
"Indians are intelligent like it or not."
@user4956340960625 said:
"Well done. Making Indians proud."
@LeeAnn Govender wrote:
"Here's another Indian brother making history, well done 🙏"
Patel's win is a reminder of the remarkable talent coming out of South African classrooms, with a learner not yet in matric finding a way to merge environmental science, agriculture, and artificial intelligence into an award-winning idea.
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- SA matric student Danya Thompson has achieved an impressive sporting double, becoming a world champion archer before earning national colours in water polo.
- The University of Cape Town has climbed in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings, earning praise and criticism from South Africans.
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Source: Briefly News
