Richmond Hill student gains world’s attention

Fourteen-year-old wins recognition for education technology

Richmond Hill Resident Adelina Corina Cozma recently won a second place award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, Calif.

“Being there onstage and knowing that I’m one of the best in the world, it made me feel really good and proud.” Cozma said. “Just being there was my dream.”

The 14-year-old Bayview Secondary School student earned the award in the Behavioral and Social Science category for technology designed to help assist in the education of autistic children. Partnering with software company Digital Rapids, a program was created that allows teachers to record lessons and modify the rate of speech to cater to the individual needs of each student.

The youngest member of the 15-person Canadian team selected to attend the event, her project was inspired by autistic students while attending Silver Stream Public School.

“I saw how the students had difficulty interacting with their environment, and this motivated me to try and find some way to help them,” Cozma said. For her efforts, Cozma won $1,500, as well another unique honour. “An asteroid will be named after me,” she said, laughing.

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