BUDDING scientists have been in Bulgaria this week at an international conference.

Clever year nine pupils at Thornleigh Salesian College took part in a scientific enquiry competition run by Sheffield Hallam University after which they were invited to the science conference.

The group designed their own way of investigating the efficiency of portable hydroelectric power stations (PHEPP) as a way to generate electricity in a more environmentally friendly way.

The young people undertook their own research, collected data and worked to find the best design.

The pupils created scientific posters to be shown at the competition and a number received special commendations for their professional designs.

Two year nine teams presented their results and findings to scientists and to other schools involved in the competition.

They were quizzed on their findings at the end of the presentation.

A team spokesman said: "As a team, we originally were part of various groups, each investigating something different which we brought together. We researched, through practical experiments, the most efficient method to generate electricity given the criteria of a PHEPP. A PHEPP is a portable hydro-electric power plant which is an environmentally friendly method to generate electricity with many benefits. We constructed the prototype for the most efficient size and shape and provided information on the powering system behind it, such as the magnet and coils of wire. We also created a scientific poster on our results."

Year nine pupils Scott Cartwright, Ruby Yates, Lucy Jackson, Amy Greenalgh came first and Sana Thagia, Miran Khan, Mia Gordon, Georgia Mather and Scott Cartwright came second.

The winning team presented their findings at the conference in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.