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Previous Winners These past winners were all students who showed unusual initiative and creativity in solving problems. The scholarship program welcomes applicants who demonstrate creativity in any field.
2024 Winners Aditi Bhattamishra Shaye Bundonis Lynn Dai Nora Kane James Nagler Massimo W. Soto Edmund Tsou Eason Zhang 2024 Honorable Mentions Oyinkansola Adebomojo (Brookwood High School, Snellville, Georgia) After noticing smaller Latin class sizes and club membership and participation dwindling compared to before the pandemic, Oyinkansola decided to reinvigorate his classmates’ interest in the classics by creating a murder mystery party game where an Ancient Roman Wedding goes wrong. The game has 25 unique characters, 5 different main storylines leaving 5 different possible killers, and various subplot storylines and clues. The game’s success was evident in the exponential growth of the high school’s Latin club membership, from 20 to over 150 members in one year. In addition, Oyinkansola was asked to adapt the game for middle school students so it could be played at a statewide convention. Oyinkansola plans to attend Yale University and major in either Neuroscience or Cognitive Science. Rchin Bari Varshith Basa Lauriann Burt Ronald Feng 2023 Winners
Mason Beaudette Aruna Das Victoria Li Melinda Lu Olivia Pollock John Russell Emily Shaw Jason Starr Sagarika Srinivasan
Beatrice Amarante. (St. Francis College, Brooklyn, NY) As a high school student in Sao Paolo, Brazil, Beatrice was aware that problems that plaguing the favelas or low-income neighborhoods near the city included high crime, limited access to electricity, and the environmental hazard of proliferating discarded car batteries. She came up with a way to address all of these problems at once: knowing that while not enough charge remained in discarded batteries to run a car, enough remained to power a light, she developed a mobile street light run by the charge that remained in the old batteries that could be used to light dark streets and make residents less vulnerable to crime. The 180 mobile light poles she produced (with volunteers she recruited) from two tons of recycled batteries that would have otherwise been disposed of as trash made nine poor neighborhoods in favelas outside of Sao Paolo more safe, reducing crime there by over 70%. Beatrice is a freshman at St. Francis College. Benjamin Chan (The Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY) Realizing traditional methods of cancer diagnosis that rely on visual inspection by pathologists are slow, inefficient and often inaccurate, Benjamin created a digital pathology toolkit to produce results that were 89% more accurate than those produced by traditional methods. Benjamin’s method will enable artificial intelligence-based cancer diagnoses that will save lives by providing patients with access to early, accurate diagnoses, and therefore effective treatment. Benjamin will attend University of Pennsylvania to study Systems Engineering with a Concentration in Decision Science. Brooke Dunefsky (Irvington High School, Irvington, NY) When she interned in a stroke rehabilitation center, Brooke observed that the typical rehabilitation process involves very expensive equipment with advanced technology that is often hard for patients to use, and also must be used on-site in the rehabilitation center. To address these challenges, Brooke developed a device that implements neuroscience-based principles of rehabilitation which costs under $100 to build and is easier for patients to calibrate and use than the current equipment. The highly-affordable device, which patients can use at home, was awarded a full patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Brook is a rising high school senior. Audrey Larson (Lyman Hall High School, Wallingford, CT) Skeptical that the problem of school shootings will be successfully addressed by a political solution any time soon, Audrey decided to tackle the problem through engineering. She invented Safe KIDS, a bulletproof wall system that can help protect students and teachers in the event of a shooting at their school. The bulletproof barrier would unobtrusively fold against a classroom wall, but could easily fold out from the wall to protect students. Its deployment would also automatically trigger notification of the police and warn other classrooms and staff in the school. Audrey will study Materials Science Engineering and Management Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Neel Jain (Westview High School, Portland, OR) Since he knew that his grandmother was in the highest risk category for COVID-19, and that a simple trip to the grocery store could become life-threatening, Neel helped deliver groceries to her at the onset of the pandemic. He soon realized how many other senior citizens nearby were in the same predicament, and organized a nonprofit, PDX Concierge, run by high school students to deliver food, prescriptions, and other essentials free of charge to senior citizens and others for whom simple tasks incurred high COVID-19 risk. Streamlining the fulfillment of requests through a website and an online ap and partnering with local food banks, Neel’s PDX Concierge made it possible for over 100 high school student volunteers to make over 600 deliveries in seven cities in Oregon. Neel is a rising senior in high school in Portland. Krupa Sekhar (Hunter College High School, New York, NY). Troubled by the race-related and gender-related health disparities rampant in almost every disease, with little biological research as to why, Krupa developed a novel methodology to discover treatable biological causes of health disparities using epigenetics to bridge the gap between minority populations and accessible medical resources. Applying her methodology first to pancreatic cancer, Krupa found biological causes for population disparities between male and female patients (males have a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer), and between African American and European patients (African Americans have a significantly higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer than any other race). Krupa hopes her research methodology can help reduce disparities by promoting earlier diagnosis in at-risk populations in the future. Krupa plans on majoring in both Human Biology and Race Studies. Richard So (Staten Island Technical High School, Staten Island, NY) Richard knew that oil drilling in Arctic Alaska was seriously disrupting migration patterns of wild caribou, a significant food source for many native Alaskan communities. But methods currently being used to gauge the impact of the drilling on this species (human analysis of untold hours of video), was time-consuming and inefficient. Richard constructed a robust, camera image caribou detection system using artificial intelligence and algorithms to accelerate Alaskan wildlife research, and provide environmentalists with the data needed to argue against policies that decimate this important species. Richard plans to major in computer science in the College of Computing at Georgia Institute of Technology. 2021 Honorable Mentions Barry Brooks (Stanford Online High School, Redwood City, CA) Inspired by a love of books and reading, Brooks was determined to put books into the hands of children who did not have any. At eight years old, Brooks founded a book club that evolved into Wonderland BookSavers, a student-managed children's book-donation charity dedicated to promoting childhood literacy throughout the world. Since its inception, Wonderland BookSavers has provided 825,000 books to half a million children from 19 countries on four continents. Brooks’ innovative approach is inspiring children everywhere to “Realize the magical awesomeness of reading!” Brooks is a rising high school senior who lives in Southport, Connecticut. Andre Borde (Forest Hills High School, Forest Hills, NY) Concerned by the Kessler Syndrome, which describes the phenomenon of nonoperational satellites losing control and crashing into other satellites — creating debris fields in the process that can crash into more satellites — Andre designed a technology to capture and deorbit obsolete CubeSats in low Earth orbit (LEO), thus significantly mitigating the growing problem of space debris. Andre will attend University of Michigan to study Engineering and Computer Science. Nazira Davroni (50th Comprehensive Secondary School, Samarkand, Uzbekistan) Having experienced first-hand how incredibly daunting the college application process can be for first-generation/low-income students, Nazira created a mobile app that helps them navigate college applications with the help of resources, mentorship, and community. In its beta-testing stage, First2College has increased every user’s understanding of the college application process. Nazira will attend Barnard College of Columbia University to study Human Rights and Anthropology. Ella Moore (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT) As the COVID-19 infection rate and death toll rose, Ella began investigating the use of R-954 as a bradykinin 1 receptor antagonist to inhibit respiratory complications caused by the virus. Ella hopes that her continued research will provide evidence that leads to new treatments that will help reduce the number of hospitalizations and deaths as the pandemic continues. Ella is a rising high school senior. 2020 Winners William Das (Hunter College High School, New York, NY) Although ADHD is the most pervasive neurobehavioral disorder in the world, there is no objective test for it, and ADHD tests that do exist are costly and therefore often unavailable to many who would benefit from them. William developed (with his research partner Shubh Khanna) an objective and inexpensive way to diagnose the disorder using eye biometrics: a web-based application captures the pupil’s response to visual stimuli and feeds this data into a machine learning algorithm to produce a diagnosis. William, who crafted the back-end machine learning system that analyzed the pupillometric data is a rising high school senior. Maria Geogdzhayeva (Hunter College High School, New York, NY) Although the US has the most advanced tornado forecast system, Maria was surprised to learn that the average time between warning and tornado occurrence is about 13 minutes. If this time was reduced, the number of deaths and injuries, and the property damage could be decreased. Maria developed a new, highly accurate tornado prediction method, based on a machine-learning model. Maria plans to major in Computer Science and Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gianna Guzzo (Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, Windsor, CT) Concerned about the number of infant deaths caused by heat strokes in cars in the summer, as well as car seat belts malfunctioning and distracted drivers looking behind them at a child, Gianna designed, developed and tested a mobile app visible and audible from the dashboard that will notify a driver if risks are present for children in car seats, by monitoring their vital signs and vehicle conditions. Gianna plans to major in Entrepreneurship & Dance at Hofstra University. Hiba Hussain (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT) Disappointed by the high cost of current methods of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) diagnosis, Hiba created a non-invasive and inexpensive diagnostic test that analyzes breath components with a sensor and smartphone application to provide the power of disease detection at a fraction of the cost. Hiba plans to study Biological Engineering at Northeastern University. Gabrielle Johnston (Joel Barlow High School, Redding, CT) Concerned by the toll taken by rising stress levels among preteens in middle school, Gabrielle developed a creative new form of art therapy to be used outdoors. The large, permanent, intricately detailed line drawings she painted in white on the blacktop in the schoolyard are designed for students to color in with colored chalk. The chalk can be easily washed away, regularly providing students with a clean canvas for their art and giving hundreds of students a creative and relaxing activity during recess. Gabrielle plans to study graphic design at Rochester Institute of Technology. Shubh Khanna (Hunter College High School, New York, NY) Troubled by the fact that existing tests for ADHD are both subjective and expensive, often leaving children in developing rural communities unable to be tested, Shubh built and scaled (with his research partner William Das) an automated, accessible, and accurate diagnostic application using eye biometrics: a web-based application captures the pupil’s response to visual stimuli and feeds this data into a machine learning algorithm to produce a probable diagnosis. Shubh, who thought of the idea and shaped its execution, is a rising high school senior. Akshara Ramasamy (The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands, TX) Troubled that an estimated 60 percent of people with Alzheimer’s often wander away without a tracking device, Akshara developed an Alzheimer’s Alert bracelet that can be removed only by someone other than the patient, that helps locate the patient more quickly. The combined GPS bracelet and app is adjustable to fit any wrist and is waterproof. Akshura is a rising high school senior. Lucca Riccio (Southington High School, Southington, CT) Concerned how families will be able to speak to their ailing loved ones who are wearing full-face oxygen masks, Lucca developed TubeTalkerTM, a Bluetooth-enabled microphone/speaker adapter connecting to the tube of a full-face oxygen mask for patient voice amplification (patent pending). Lucca plans to attend the University of Connecticut where he will study Management and Engineering for Manufacturing. Colin Speaker (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT) Struck by the statistic that 1.5 million deaths occur annually due to contaminated drinking water, Colin created a novel method to enhance the efficiency of solar water disinfection systems that can improve public health in developing countries. Colin is a rising high school senior. Pranay Talla (Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY) Discovering Braille Readers are expensive and inconvenient, Pranay designed a multi-line, refreshable braille reader around 10 times more affordable than modern readers that promotes literacy for the visually-impaired community (patent pending). Pranay will attend Columbia University in the City of New York where he will double major in Mathematics and Biophysics. Melissa Woo (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT) Realizing that currently, melanoma is often diagnosed only through often-inaccurate and not widely accessible qualitative visual inspection, Melissa created a smartphone app using a low-cost infrared camera attachment to conduct thermal and color analyses of potential melanoma. Her app can easily and effectively provide a diagnosis an accuracy rate of 98.75%, and lays the groundwork for a non-invasive, quantitative tool for quick, reliable melanoma detection. Melissa will attend Princeton University where she will study Engineering. 2020 Honorable Mentions Peter Gordon (Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Palos Hills, IL) Concerned by the monarch butterfly’s two-decade, 90 percent population-decline due to pesticides that killed milkweed, Peter founded the nonprofit organization, Homes4Monarchs;the nonprofit distributes native plant seed such as milkweed to residents, libraries, train stations, places of worship, nature centers, and other places to promote the growth of sustainable gardens with food and habitats for butterflies, bees and other pollinators; it also holds events that promote conservation and pollinator gardening. Peter plans to double major in Sustainable Development and Economics at Columbia University.
Sophia Li (Hunter College High School, New York, NY) Concerned that Multiple Myeloma (MM) treatments, such as immunomodulatory drugs and proteasome inhibitors, are limited due to drug resistance and relapses in patients, Sophia researched chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and proposed the idea to develop dual targeting CAR (dtCAR) T cells to treat multiple myeloma (MM). Sophia plans to study Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Carolyn McDermott (Westborough High School, Westborough, MA) Recalling her own difficulties learning to read and early fear of reading aloud, Carolyn came up with two strategies to help elementary- and middle-school children in her town with below-average reading skills. Aware of the link between below-average reading abilities of food insecurity, she collected thousands of age-appropriate books and installed bookshelves in food pantries and family service centers. She also created “Books with Buddies,” a program in which elementary-school English Language Learners had the opportunity to read aloud to therapy dogs, an activity that succeeded in boosting their confidence, fluency, accuracy and interest in reading. Carolyn plans to study Nursing at Fairfield University. Ethan Wilk (BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ) Melding his passion for technology with his passion for sustaining marine ecosystems, Ethan came up with an unconventional application of blockchain to help preserve endangered species of fish. He developed a finger-tip sized computer chip based on blockchain that could relay the vital signs of marine organisms more accurately than any other existing method. The novel technology was tested with the help of scores of volunteer high school students who tagged over 1000 fish, gaining information that helped save three highly endangered species in the region. Ethan is a rising high school senior. Brian Wu (Horace Mann High School, New York, NY) Brian discovered, confirmed, and characterized a Tatooine-like circumbinary planet orbiting two stars, the first of its kind detected using Doppler spectroscopy. Techniques he developed in this research project (that he conducted and designed on his own) may help make it possible to discover other planets like this one, outside of our solar system and potentially habitable someday. Brian plans to major in Aerospace Engineering and minor in Management Science & Engineering at Stanford University. Lucas Maley (Manhasset Secondary School, Manhasset, NY) As a volunteer Junior Firefighter in his hometown, Lucas noticed that firefighters were locating hydrants on the way to a fire by using paper maps, most of which were old and inaccurate, difficult to see in the dark, and hard to read due to the tiny font. As a result, he created a free digital hydrant map system using Google Maps that shows the fastest route to the fire while showing the nearest hydrants. Lucas is a rising high school senior.
2019 Winners Leon Aharonian (Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, N.Y.) Back pain caused by bad posture can be alleviated only by changing one’s habits—a difficult process that requires advanced biofeedback. Recognizing the limitations of existing devices, Leon designed a distinctive Posture Monitoring Shirt that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to provide reliable biofeedback on posture in real time that could benefit individuals, therapists and researchers dealing with the challenge of back pain. He will attend Columbia University.
2019 Honorable Mentions Madeline Bale (Clayton High School, St. Louis, Mo.) created, directed, filmed and edited a prize-winning documentary entitled “Menstruation Discrimination,” which has been shown nationwide on CSPAN, to explain why the discriminatory “tampon sales tax” must be abolished nationwide. As a result of the impact of her film, she is now working with Missouri politicians to abolish this tax in her state, which especially affects poor women, while men’s products like Viagra, Rogaine and shaving cream are not taxed. She plans to major in Economics and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Yale.
2019 Winners Leon Aharonian (Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, N.Y.) Back pain caused by bad posture can be alleviated only by changing one’s habits—a difficult process that requires advanced biofeedback. Recognizing the limitations of existing devices, Leon designed a distinctive Posture Monitoring Shirt that uses artificial intelligence algorithms to provide reliable biofeedback on posture in real time that could benefit individuals, therapists and researchers dealing with the challenge of back pain. He will attend Columbia University.
2019 Honorable Mentions Madeline Bale (Clayton High School, St. Louis, Mo.) created, directed, filmed and edited a prize-winning documentary entitled “Menstruation Discrimination,” which has been shown nationwide on CSPAN, to explain why the discriminatory “tampon sales tax” must be abolished nationwide. As a result of the impact of her film, she is now working with Missouri politicians to abolish this tax in her state, which especially affects poor women, while men’s products like Viagra, Rogaine and shaving cream are not taxed. She plans to major in Economics and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies at Yale.
2018 Winners Shalvit Grimes (St. John’s College High School, Washington, D.C.) Recognizing the global education crisis faced by girls in the developing world, Shalvit helped impoverished girls in Haiti create a sustainable plan for raising funds to pay their school fees. Shalvit worked with local organizations to help the girls source durable, free materials that would otherwise be discarded; cut and sew these materials into simple drawstring backpacks using solar-powered sewing machines (for which she helped raise funds); and develop strategies for getting the bags to market. Shalvit is currently enrolled at St. John’s University.
Vera Zarubin (Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, N.Y.) Vera developed a new way to physically assemble high-performance conducting polymers without the use of toxic chemicals and bulky machinery. Vera discovered small external magnetic fields to be key to using natural, external forces to manufacture advanced functional materials more naturally. The new method Vera developed to fabricate polymer films and the research gaps that the work addressed could play a key role in the next generation of electronics. Vera is continuing her studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 2018 Honorable Mentions Ashita Dhadda (Dwight Morrow High School/Academies, Fort Lee, N.J.) “Prosthetics for Change,” the nonprofit Ashita created, helped make students more aware of the needs of the physically disabled while raising funds to purchase inexpensive but sturdy and effective prosthetics for more than 100 people around the world. Ashita is currently a high school senior.
Alexander Bohr (Coventry High School, Coventry, CT). Caring deeply about the need to raise awareness about environmental sustainability and the need for more healthy food in his high school cafeteria and local food pantries, Alexander addressed both issues simultaneously by building a solar-powered aquaponic geodesic dome at his school that will help educate and feed his community. He will study Environmental Science at the University of Connecticut. Gavrielle Kamen (Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC). Convinced that empathy and communication are the building blocks of world peace, Gavrielle created "Middle East Skype Sessions," an organization that facilitates conversations between teenagers in the U.S. and teenagers in Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan and Afghanistan. She will major in Performance Studies and Peace and Conflict Resolution, with a minor in Middle East Studies, at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Ana Larrazolo (Veterans Memorial High School, Brownsville, TX). Despite the discrimination and hostility, widespread illiteracy, and tremendous poverty endured by the Mexican American residents of the Rio Grande Valley, where Ana lives, Ana knew that the region was also a site of vibrant creativity. She founded an artist collective in South Texas, "Artistas de la Frontera," to help poets, painters, photographers, muralists, and others inspire and support one another through poetry slams, exhibits, and a zine. She will study Acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Neal Soni WATCH VIDEO (Staples High School, Westport, CT). After seeing his grandfather suffer from excruciating low back pain, Neal devoted himself to developing an ingenious process to reduce the scarring that often occurs during back surgery. Combining the use of hydrogels with modeling prototype spinal columns through 3-D printing, Neal's innovative intervention could have revolutionary and global impact. He will be a high school senior in 2017-2018. George Stefanakis WATCH VIDEO (Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY). The distinctive mathematical model and unorthodox conceptual framework in computational science that George developed can pave the way for a potentially groundbreaking approach to resolving some obstacles to the development of a large-scale quantum computer. He will major in Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. William Yin (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT). Troubled that there was no user-friendly, low-cost diagnostic test for the early detection of atherosclerosis—the leading precursor to heart attacks and strokes and the leading cause of death worldwide—William filled this gap with a creative, life-saving device of his own design. He developed an inexpensive, self-administered, tattoo-based biosensor patch resembling a Band-Aid that can reliably detect arterial plaque build-up. He will study Bioengineering and Computer Science at Stanford University. 2017 Honorable Mentions
Melissa Gurzenda (St. Paul Catholic High School, Bristol, CT) invented a lap desk with a crank-powered light to help children in areas without electricity read and write at night. She will study Entrepreneurship at Bryan University. Dana Joseph (Engineering and Science University Magnet School, West Haven, CT) created inventive classes called "Code Pink, Code Blue, Code You" to encourage girls to explore computer science. She will study Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. Jeffrey Richiez (Urban Assembly Gateway School for Technology, New York, NY) developed software that helps teachers and guidance staff at his school do their jobs more efficiently. He will study Computer Science at the State University of New York, New Paltz. Elora Rosedale (Canton High School, Canton, CT) produced thoughtful chemotherapy companion bags to provide comfort and aid to patients going through chemotherapy. She will attend the University of Hartford. Kadir Sahin (Engineering and Science University Magnet School, West Haven, CT) developed an online, student-written publication to inform students city-wide of what is happening in all the high schools in the New Haven area and to give all students the chance to hone their skills as journalists and photographers. He will be a high school senior in 2017-2018. Skyler Szot (Farmington High School, Farmington, CT) designed and built durable turtle basking platforms that will enhance the health and wellbeing of the local turtle population while allowing park visitors to view the turtles. He will study Biomedical Engineering at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. 2016 Winners Ting Gao (Mount Saint Mary Academy, Kenmore, NY). Finding that many students with special needs or financial difficulties whom she tutored at her local library couldn't afford basic school supplies, Ting wanted to find a way to help. She founded a student-run non-profit that provides essential school supplies year round, not just during the back-to-school time period. The group pays for them by collecting empty ink cartridges and old electronics from local businesses, essentially establishing a "recycling network." The 50-member student-run organization has distributed more than a thousand items at five high schools in Western New York—including two new printers and five laptop computers. She plans to study biomedical engineering at Yale.
2016 Honorable Mentions
Ariel Creamer (Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn, New York). After watching Hurricane Sandy destroy her community, Ariel created Survivors Silver Lining. Using Facebook to match generous donors with children who had lost cherished items in the storm, she got a large Lego collection to a child who loved Legos but had lost his own, and over sixty bikes to replace bikes lost in the storm. She is a high school junior.
2015 Winners
Annie Blumenfeld (Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield, CT) WATCH VIDEO Distressed to learn that the adorable shaggy dog she adopted suffered from a painful disease that was expensive to treat—and also totally preventable—Annie decided to educate the public about heartworm. After founding an organization to promote heartworm awareness, she succeeded in getting information about heartworm added to dog licenses in Connecticut. She also painted and sold a series of portraits of people's dogs to support shelter animals' medical needs. She is currently a high school junior. Andrea Gonzales (Hunter College High School, New York, NY) Andrea used the computer skills she acquired through Girls Who Code to try to remove some of the stigma, silence, and invisibility associated with menstruation. Andrea co-created a video game called "Tampon Run," which playfully replaces the hypersexualized women avatars common to the world of gaming with spunky, tampon-wielding girls, thereby chipping away at "menstrual taboo" in American society. She is currently a high school junior.
2015 Honorable Mentions
Mishelle Andersen (Hill Regional Career High School, New Haven, CT) started an art club in her school to create art for local hospice patients. She plans to study biology at The University of Connecticut. Justin Fargiano (Bethel High School, Bethel, CT) engaged his entire community in the arts by creating a recurring, massive festival, which showcases student photography, film and digital media in his town. He plans to study film at New York University. Kemani Harriott (Classical Magnet School, Hartford, CT) produced a compelling short documentary about human trafficking in Connecticut. She plans to study physical therapy at the University of Hartford. Karam Lyons (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, MD) built inexpensive 3D-printed prosthetic hands that would be especially useful for children suffering from Amniotic Band Syndrome. He plans to study at New York University. Anubhuti Mathur (Glastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT) conducted innovative research on the ability of an antioxidant found in green tea to arrest the progressive degeneration of cartilage among osteoarthritis patients. She plans to study Columbia University. Katarina Poynor (Brewster High School, Brewster, NY) experimented with a glove containing non-Newtonian fluids that could help protect construction workers from getting Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. She plans to study at Binghamton University – State University of New York. Shayan Roychoudhury (Daniel Hand High School, Madison, CT) conducted an innovative experiment using technology used in auto shock absorbers (ferro-fluids) to make a prosthetic finger more flexible, responsive, and lifelike. He plans to study biomedical engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
2014 Winners
Devin Gund (Ridgefield, Connecticut): Hurricanes and storms frequently cripple power lines and halt communication in Devin's hometown, leaving students and their families literally in the dark about emergency measures and scheduling changes. Devin used his passion for programming to create a mobile application for the school system that provides families with a constant link to emergency alerts. The app he designed also provides access to teacher websites, student and sports schedules, grades, attendance, and homework, in addition to providing notifications of alerts and closings for every school. The software company he created is customizing the app for other school systems around the country. He is a recent graduate of Ridgefield High School and plans to study Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. [Carnegie Mellon]. Janine Kerr (Danbury, CT): When Zebra Mussels began invading lakes in Connecticut, causing negative environmental and economic consequences, Janine was concerned, since the only method of controlling the infestation involved putting environmentally dangerous chemicals into the water. The independent research she undertook made her aware of a kind of sponge found off the coast of Indonesia on which mollusks didn't grow, despite the fact that they grew on coral reefs and other sponges all around them. Janine designed a controlled experiment to test whether a chemical derived from the mollusk-free sponge could inhibit mollusk growth in Connecticut waters; she designed another experiment to determine whether the chemical was environmentally safe. Her positive results could serve as the basis for a plan to rid Connecticut lakes of this invasive species. A senior at Danbury High School, she plans to study Environmental Management in college [College undecided] Angus MacMullen (New Haven, CT): How do you get ten- to fourteen-year-olds excited about learning electronic circuitry? Angus met this challenge by designing a class at the Eli Whitney Museum around a creative project that captured their imaginations: building a simple modular analog synthesizer whose components could be randomly connected and knobs turned at whim to create some "wonderfully annoying sound effects." He is a recent graduate of Hopkins School, and plans to study Electrical Engineering at MIT. [MIT] Eve McNally (San Mateo, CA): As she walked home from school on a sunny California afternoon, Eve was struck by all the oranges and lemons lying in people's yards, at the base of the trees from which they had fallen; she knew that much of this surplus fruit—more than the families could consume—would simply rot. She also knew first-hand how scarce fresh produce was at local food pantries. Eve founded "Picking for Hunger" to match people whose trees produced more fruit than they needed with high school students who would pick the fruit before it spoiled and deliver it to local food pantries. The idea took off and is spreading to other schools. A senior at Aragon High School, Eve has not decided yet on what her major in college will be. [College undecided] Matthew O'Connell (Commack, NY): WATCH VIDEO How does one communicate proper instructions for taking a medication to people who do not speak the language of the prescriber, or who are illiterate, visually-impaired or hearing-impaired? Matthew combined his interests in computer science, health, and medicine to address this problem. He developed an innovative computer program that utilizes translations, audio instruction, and pictograms to better relay medication instructions. The International Pharmaceutical Federation has put a link to it on their website, and hundreds of prescribers around the world have used it. A senior at Commack High School, Matthew plans to major in Software Engineering in college. [College undecided] Brook Peters (New York, NY): Brook's second day of kindergarten was in a school located near the Twin Towers on 9/11. Ten years later, he shot, edited and produced a compelling and creative film that conveyed with immediacy and sensitivity what it felt like for his peers and their teachers to bear witness to that awful chapter of history. He also shot, edited and produced a series of sensitive documentaries about veterans. All of his films inspire people to appreciate the resilience of which they are capable. A high school senior, he is undecided about what his college major will be. [College undecided]
2014 Honorable Mentions
2013 Winners Aiden Ford (Bethel High School, Bethel, CT) Pigeons are smart, social birds who can distinguish shape and number, get lonely, and experience grief. How do they recognize each other when they are too far apart to be seen? Building on her talent for math, music, and patterns, Aiden devised a methodology that allowed her to demonstrate that male pigeons have distinctive individual signature calls by which other pigeons recognize them. Aiden plans to major in Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Connecticut. Luis Hernandez (Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies, Brooklyn, NY) Knowing from personal experience the ways in which a negative body image can affect a young person's self-esteem and self-worth, Luis wrote a screenplay and directed a film that treated the subject with humor and compassion. Luis plans to attend the University of Southern California. Ryan Kerr (Danbury High School, Danbury, CT) Living in a region plagued by ticks carrying Lyme Disease, Ryan wanted to develop an environmentally-safe way to control the tick population. After collecting ticks by using himself as bait in forested areas near his home and collecting engorged ticks from his neighbors' dogs, Ryan devised experiments that proved the that introducing microscopic roundworms (nematodes) into the soil could effectively decrease tick populations. He plans to major in Statistics and Applied Mathematics at Harvard. Alejandro Meran (Common Ground High School, New Haven, CT) Troubled by the fact that senior citizens in his city have little access to healthy, fresh, affordable produce, Alejandro was the leader of a team project in his school, "Fresh Food Heroes", that distributed fruits and vegetables grown by students at the school and by local farmers to senior homes and shelters at subsidized cost through "mobile markets." Alejandro plans to major in Computer Science at the University of Connecticut. Lindsey Noskin (Greenwich High, Greenwich, CT) WATCH VIDEO How can you make a better brick? Or at least a more energy-efficient one? Lindsey experimented and came up with a novel approach using a secret ingredient: coffee grounds! By mixing coffee grounds into the bricks before they were fired, she discovered that minute air pockets were created, adding significantly to the bricks' ability to retain heat or cold. Lindsey plans to major in Engineering at Cornell University Ankeeta Shah (Dobbs Ferry High School, Dobbs Ferry, NY) Summer trips to India underlined for Ankeeta both the dire effects of hunger and the challenge of transporting food with high nutritional value over long distances. While the shelf-life of cucumbers is commonly extended with a petroleum-based wax, Ankeeta did experiments to demonstrate that a natural, healthy, edible coating worked just as well. She plans to major in chemistry at Barnard. 2013 Honorable Mentions Xiuqi Cao (Century High School, Rochester, Minnesota) devised tests that determined which forms of algae were best suited to the bioremediation of crude oil spills. He plans to major in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale. Meggan Gildehaus (St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire) created an inventive public service video designed to help young women resist the tyranny of images of "perfect" female beauty projected by mass-circulation women's magazines and embrace more realistic and healthy ideas about who they are. She plans to study at the Clive Davis Institute of Music at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Susan Jao (Commack High School, Commack, New York) developed a series of imaginative pieces of playground equipment designed for children with cerebral palsy. She plans to study neuroscience or biology at Columbia University. Casey Lipton (Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York) conducted a clever research project to determine the most effective method for predicting a person's risk of getting pancreatic cancer. She plans to major in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Ryan Malpass (Dobbs Ferry High School, Dobbs Ferry, NY) pursued innovative research on stem cells that could lead to the development of non-addictive pain medication. He plans to major in Cellular Biology at Yale. Jaclyn Murphy (Arlington High School, Lagrangeville, NY and Marist College) Inspired by the support of her fellow athletes in her own recovery from a brain tumor, Jacklyn created a foundation that pairs children battling brain tumors with collegiate and high school sports teams throughout the country to help them motivate and inspire each other. Eileen Quirk (Staten Island Tech, Staten Island, NY) creatively researched the relationship between the number of trees and the ozone levels in high schools in her community, leading to successful efforts to remediate the air quality surrounding her school by planting more trees. She plans to major in Environmental Engineering at Manhattan College. Shiyu (Jennifer) Zhuang (Amity Regional High School, Amity, CT) conducted original research to better detect vulnerabilities and risk factors for heart disease. Her findings have the potential to help deter progressive heart failure and better detect "silent" heart attacks before they cause irreversible damage. She plans to double-major in Finance and Biology at New York University.
2012 Winners Elizabeth Dente, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (Bergen County Academies) Recognizing the high cost of many wound repair treatments, Elizabeth Dente sought a cost-effective way of making skin wounds heal more quickly. When her school accidentally ordered a different substance than the one she had requested Elizabeth decided to experiment with the potential wound-healing properties of the synthetic compound that arrived. She combined Benzoin with a natural anti-oxidant, olive fruit extract, and developed an effective delivery system. Neither this combination of substances nor this delivery system had been used for skin repair previously. Her experiment was a success. She plans to study biomedical engineering at Columbia University.
Jacob Wolf-Sorokin, Brookline, MA (Brookline High). Although the state budget cuts affected all youth across the state, young people in the suburbs and the city had never seen their fates as linked until Jacob and some fellow teenagers founded an organization to unite urban and suburban youth in fighting against these cuts together. The organization, YMORE—Youth of Massachusetts Organizing for a Reformed Economy—successfully lobbied the legislature to restore some of the cuts. Jacob plans to major in environmental studies or political science at Yale.
2011 Winners Sivan Battat, Woodbridge, CT (Amity High School, Woodbridge, CT/ ACES-ECA, New Haven, CT) Having grown up in a Jewish community that made her aware of the concept of genocide and the phrase "never again" at an early age, Sivan Battat found herself growing increasingly disturbed at her peers' lack of awareness of the ongoing crisis in Darfur, Sudan. After consulting a local Holocaust survivor and a Darfur survivor, Sivan wrote and produced an original play entitled Forever Running as a vehicle for increasing young people's awareness of genocide. The play melded perspectives rooted in the Holocaust with perspectives drawn from contemporary violence in Darfur to dramatize the pain and suffering of the victims of genocide. It has been performed for over 1000 students. Sivan plans to major in theatre at Wesleyan University, where a continuing area of interest will be the potential of theatre to help ignite social change.
2011 HONORABLE MENTIONS Titania Green, Bridgeport, CT (Central Magnet High School, Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science & Technology Education Center, Bridgeport, CT) Titania Green was concerned about pollution in the Long Island Sound. Nitrogen being continuously discharged into the Sound was promoting the excessive growth of algae, which in turn was preventing enough sunlight from reaching shallow areas where submerged aquatic vegetation grew--plants that served as a habitat for shellfish and juvenile fish. Titania came up with an experiment that replicated local pollution levels in the lab to explore whether local oysters could help remove excess nitrogen from the waters around them. She is submitting her original findings to a scientific journal. Next year she will major in environmental studies at Green Mountain College.
Claire Pershan, Hamden, CT (Hopkins School, New Haven, CT) When she learned that budget cuts had forced schools in New Haven to reduce or in some cases eliminate arts and music programs entirely, Claire Pershan recalled how important music had been to her own learning experience in school and decided to take action. Determined to prevent inner-city students in New Haven from being deprived of the opportunity to make music themselves, Claire created "Vocal for Change," a performing a cappella choral group for children in two New Haven schools. Next year she will be studying education, English, and environmental studies at Pomona College.
Siying Qu, China and La Grange, NC (Arendell Parrott Academy, Kinston, NC; Wayne Country Day School, Goldsboro, NC) During the nineteen-hour plane ride from China to the U.S., Siying Qu found it impossible to find a comfortable position for sitting or sleeping in her coach-class seat. Her body ached for two days from the contortions she had put it through. Months later that nineteen-hour trip in the other direction was an even greater ordeal for her American host mother, whose medical problems made it even harder for her to sit comfortably. Siying decided to address this problem by using fabric and metal rods to modify a laptop bag into an innovative seat-extender that folds to the size of a laptop (with a strap that lets it be carried on board as hand luggage) to provide greater comfort for airline travelers. Next year she will study design at Parsons The New School for Design, hoping to learn the professional skills she needs to work as a fashion designer when she returns home to China.
Joel Suarez, New Haven, CT (Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, New Haven, CT; Eli Whitney High School, Hamden, CT) Joel Suarez never loses sight of the fact that he came from "a low-income urban community in the state with the largest achievement gap in the United States." He also recognizes how crucial it was for him to have had the chance to learn filmmaking techniques from a local, non-profit, media design studio. To give children younger than himself a sense that they, too, could find pleasure and satisfaction in the creative arts, Joel designed and taught film workshops for "at risk" youth in New Haven. Next year he plans to major in film at Quinnipiac University.
2010 WINNERS Emily (Leah) Kate Larson (Sharon, MA) Recognizing that observant young Jewish women found no publication that addressed people like themselves, Leah Larson created a magazine to fill that void. Yaldah, the magazine for young Jewish girls that she launched, not only fills a need by providing a publication for a group that had trouble seeing their own interests and values reflected in print previously--it also provides an creative outlet for expression for these young women. Ms. Larson’s high school experience was a combination of the Bais Chomesh school in Toronto and homeschooling; after completing a year of study at the Beit Chana Seminary in Israel, she will attend Stern College of Business at New York University, where she will study business and entrepreneurial studies, English, and graphic design. Alexander Hanyu Lin (Westerly, RI) Distressed by the volume of electronic waste produced in his community, Alexander Lin came up with some innovative ways of addressing the problem, while at the same time spreading information technology to places where it is greatly needed. Whether he was initiating a computer recycling program in his community, refurbishing over 300 computers, and collecting large quantities of e-waste, or whether he was educating his community, working to successfully get e-waste legislation passed, and raising funds to create “A Green Bridge across the Digital Divide,” he has made a difference in both his own community and a number of other communities around the world. His efforts have resulted in the creation of computer centers in the USA, Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Mexico, Kenya and the Philippines that provide resources and opportunities of the internet to over 7000 individuals. Mr. Lin, who spent part of his high school career at the Westerly High School in Westerly, Rhode Island, is a graduate of the Williams School in New London, Connecticut. He will attend Stanford University, where he plans to major in chemical engineering. Manju Mukesh Malkani (Lyndhurst NJ) Manju Malkani’s observations in a rural clinic in India made her aware of a more widespread problem that disturbed her: Indian teaching hospitals were not providing sorely-needed training in mental health to medical practitioners. To address this problem, she worked with experts in child psychiatry in the U.S. to develop a series of up-to-date, evidence-based medical lecture modules which are now being streamed to teaching hospitals in India. Ms. Malkani, who is a graduate of Academies@Englewood, will attend Stern School of Business at New York University, where she plans to major in marketing. Jacob Donald Ness (New Milford, CT) Avoiding herbicides and pesticides while growing edible and cost-effective crops is a key challenge faced by organic farmers everywhere. Jacob Ness addressed this challenge as it pertains to edible pumpkins in the Northeast. Rather than simply accepting that were no edible pumpkin varieties that were resistant to powdery mildew, a bane of farmers across the Northeastern U.S., he decided to try to try to create one. His painstaking and inspired experiment allowed him to develop a strain of pumpkins that is both resistant to powdery mildew, and edible--an achievement that will have potentially important implications for organic farmers, making it much more economical for them to grow an appealing vegetable without harming the environment. He is currently a junior at New Milford High School.
Aayush H. Upadhyay (Miramar, FLA) Most students with perfect scores on virtually any standardized test they took would be pleased with the congratulations they would get from teachers and parents and would be resigned to the inevitable envy they would get from their peers. But Aayush Upadhyay’s response was different: he analyzed the test-taking skills and attitudes that helped him succeed on these tests, and developed a method for teaching them to his fellow students. His school’s principal confirms that the innovative strategies he taught his peers helped raise their test scores significantly. Mr. Upadhyay, who is a graduate of Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines, Florida, will attend Yale College, where he plans to major in computer science.
2010 Honorable Mentions
Stephane E. Fouché (Chestnut Ridge, NY) addressed the challenges faced by other students who, like himself, grew up speaking a language other than English before immigrating to the U.S. by creating One World Mentoring, a peer-mentoring and peer-tutoring program designed to help ESL students in his school, Spring Valley High School in Spring Valley, New York. He will attend Harvard College, where he plans to major in international relations. Amber S. Moye (New Haven, CT) was troubled by the fact that young African American women in middle school in New Haven were being given little guidance as they made the transition to high school. When she recognized that they would benefit greatly from being mentored by high school students who shared their background and appreciated the special challenges that they faced, she created a mentoring program geared to their particular needs. A graduate of James Hillhouse High School, Ms. Moye will be attending Howard University, where she plans to major in communications. Alexander Epstein (New York, NY) addressed a range of problems faced by citizens of New Orlean’s Lower 9th Ward as they tried to rebuild their community by creating, with his peers, the New York 2 New Orleans Coalition. The organization’s efforts helped make it possible for some 800 students volunteers to help rebuild New Orleans. He has extended his efforts to encourage students to become engaged in initiatives geared towards sustainability, economic development, food justice, and youth leadership in the Philadelphia community surrounding the college he attends, Temple University, where he is majoring in sociology. Dylan Jared Assael (Woodbury, NY) conducted original research regarding the relationship between picocyanobactria and silicon that might help chart a new approach for solving environmental challenges in the future. Given the key role that this organism plays in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, his research could have important implications for the ways in which we understand the response of the oceans and atmosphere to global climate change. A graduate of Syosset High School, he will be attending Dartmouth College, where he plans to major in biology and environmental science. Ishan Sinha (Orange, CT) conducted innovative research on the intersection between neuroscience and music. One project involved using music therapy to help a stroke victim regain speech. Another involved researching the ways in which music can impair driving skills--research which has been incorporated into the middle school curriculum in his town. A graduate of Amity High School in Woodbridge, he will be attending Yale University, where he plans to major in neuroscience and music. More Past Winners:
Irina Denisenko (Staten Island Technical High School, Staten Island, NY) Irina was troubled by the fact that when patients are being treated for spinal cord injury, painful and expensive surgery is commonly the only option offered to treat the damage suffered by otherwise-healthy areas of the spine adjacent to the injury. She knew that researchers had met with little success when they tried to stimulate nerve action through the use static magnetic fields. But they had not explored the effectiveness of oscillating and pulsed magnetic fields. After extensive library research, Irina devised and conducted an experiment at the College of Staten Island’s neuroscience lab that demonstrated the potential of oscillating and pulsed magnetic fields to successfully stimulate sciatic nerves. Conclusions from her research have inspired other researchers to continue to explore the possibilities of repairing damaged nerves without surgical intervention. Irina currently attends the University of Pennsylvania and plans to major in Life Sciences and Management.
Victor M. Flores Jr. (Uniondale High School, Uniondale, NY) Disturbed by the impact of pesticides on the environment and on the human health, Victor chose to explore the properties of a natural alternative to chemical pesticides: bio-pesticides known as plant elicitors, which can activate hormonal pathways in plants. While the use of chemical pesticides has been associated with problems including brain cancer, leukemia, birth defects and diabetes, the use of plant elicitors as a form of pest control has no side effects on humans. Victor conducted experiments that demonstrated not only that plant elicitors were effective in protecting pea plants against pea aphids, but also that they increased the plants’ rate of growth. His work has attracted the interest of professionals working in this field. He currently attends Harvard College.
Christina Yvonne Johnson (Renaissance High School, Bronx, NY) Christina looked around her northeast Bronx neighborhood and realized that she was far from alone in having a weight problem: obesity was almost an epidemic among young people in her community, where parks were unsafe, and where the kind of outdoor activities that helped keep young people fit in other places were fraught with too many dangers to pursue. Christina addressed her own health issues and those of young people in her community by founding “Get Active, Get Healthy.” “Get Active, Get Healthy” addresses childhood obesity through a comprehensive set of prevention initiatives pursued in collaboration with Federal, State and local public agencies and the food industry. It creatively uses the Wii game, aerobics classes, bowling, etc. to combine fitness, exercise, good nutrition and fun. The program has coordinated a successful campaign to heighten awareness of Childhood Obesity, and to give the community tools to combat it. It has helped make Christina, and young people in her community, more healthy and fit. She currently attends Penn State University and plans to major in Biology and minor in Theater.
Alexandra Michele Larsen (Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY ) was aware of the fact that early diagnosis of autism could make a huge difference in the effectiveness of various treatments and in the long-term cost of a person's care; but she also knew that general nature of the symptoms made early diagnoses extremely difficult. Using an MEG (magnetoencephalography) machine, Alexandra found that some specific brain activity in subjects who had already been diagnosed as autistic was not present in subjects who did not have autism. Her research opens up possibilities for diagnosing autism much earlier than has been possible in the past. Since early intervention dramatically improves the quality of life for an autistic person and his or her family and has the potential to significantly reduce the annual $35 billion cost for care of people with autism in the U.S., her findings have far-reaching implications She currently attends Johns Hopkins University and plans to major in Public Health with a concentration in Neurology.
Olivia Rose Mahler-Haug (Branford High School, Branford, CT) was excited to have the chance to teach a pottery class for children at the Eli Whitney Museum, but was stumped by what to do about the fact that it normally took much more than one week (the duration of the course) to design, craft, and fire pots. Olivia met this challenge by creating an innovative one-week “micropottery” class and portable clay studio that condensed the process of making pottery from theme to finished earthenware into tasks that could be completed in a week, with time left over for her to teach her young charges not only the craft of pottery-making, but also what pottery can reveal about different cultures. Her pupils left her course with a sense of the various forms and functions of the most iconic ceramics and vessels around the world, from celadon Chinese teapots, to carved English tiles to Native American etched pinch pots--and got to take home the miniature ceramics they had designed themselves
Tiara Alexis Marshall (Brentwood High School, Brentwood, NY) Tiara knew that oil contamination posed tremendous problems for the water supply in the developing world--that the water supply in villages in Ecuador, for example, was still contaminated by oil from spills in the 1960s. But what if bacteria with the ability to digest oil could be enlisted to get rid of the oil in a community’s water supply? Tiara, who plans to pursue an education in environmental science, was the leader of a team of Brentwood High School students who explored the possibility of creating a cost-effective filtration system using a biofilm membrane to eliminate oil and other contaminants in water. Funded by the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Initiative, which gives grants to invent technological solutions to real-world problems, the team collaborated with staff of the SUNY Stony Brook Garcia Laboratory to develop a biofilm and a pump housing unit as a prototype. If the pump proves successful when it is tested in Ecuador, Tiara and her colleagues plan to market it at cost to other communities plagued by oil-contaminated water supplies.
Nicholas James Wasko (Joel Barlow High School, Redding, CT) loved drama, but the stage in his high school auditorium was so rundown as to be unsafe. To raise money for capital improvements to the Joel Barlow High School’s deteriorating performing arts theater, Nicholas founded an improv comedy troupe, Troupe du Jour, which was so successful that it raised not only the $15,000 needed for his school to purchase new curtains, a new lighting system, and a new stage floor, but an additional $30,000 as well (from sponsors and fans in the community) that it donated to Hurricane Katrina-related rebuilding efforts, the local food pantry, and other charitable organizations. Nicholas currently attends the University of Connecticut and plans to major in Neuroscience.
Christopher Marquies Daniels (James Hillhouse High School, New Haven, CT) How do you give the students who make up a tremendously diverse student body a sense of pride in their school and themselves? That’s the challenge Chris took on when he had the opportunity to design and paint murals at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, CT as part of an Art Club project. Themed “I Am,” Chris’s distinctive murals celebrate the diversity of the student population and the uniqueness of every student, while projecting an inspiring spirit of hope. He currently attends Paier College of Art and plans to major in graphic design.
Kasey Ross Glass (West Hill High School, Stamford, CT) Kasey’s response to the dearth of opportunities in her community for teenagers to engage in meaningful community service while building self-esteem, was co-founding the Happy Club for Teens , an organization that helped her peers engage in activities that were both constructive and personally enriching. Members orchestrated food drives, raised funds for animal welfare, visited senior citizen centers, volunteered at drug rehabilitation residential facilities, and planted a Memorial Garden to the fallen soldiers of the Iraq War. She currently attends the University of Connecticut and plans to major in Psychology and Languages.
Mackenzie Eileen Goodrich (Bristol Eastern High School, Bristol, CT) Although organizations in her community provided lunch and dinner to people in need, the hungry were on their own when it came to breakfast. To help fill this gap, Mackenzie created Mack’s Morning Meal at a local soup kitchen. Drawing on her years of volunteer experience in gathering food for food pantries and homeless shelters, Mackenzie organized local grocers, religious institutions, nonprofits and supportive community members to provide an additional meal for the hungry. In between breakfasts, she planned menus, solicited donations, and picked up food from various vendors. She currently attends College of the Holy Cross and plans to major in Pre-med and Biology.
Crystal Shannon Knox-Smith (Queens High School of Teaching, Laurelton, NY) Concerned that young women in her community lacked the awareness and knowledge that could help them avoid abusive relationships, Crystal created the "NO DISRESPECT: abuse is not love" Domestic Violence Awareness patch program for the Senior Girl Scouting Gold Award. Crystal’s efforts involved collaboration with state and national organizations; the innovative and constructive patch program she developed has the potential to be replicated on the national level, where it would reinforce other initiatives designed to prevent domestic violence. She currently attends Penn State University and plans to major in Education.
Amalie M. Kwassman (Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn, NY ) When a stabbing occurred outside her school, Amalie Kwassman found herself wondering whether her peers had sufficient outlets for their intense emotions other than physical violence. Those doubts--combined with a love of words and expression she had had since third grade--led Amalie to found the “Poetry With a Purpose” Club, an activity designed to promote the use of creative expression to foster social justice and to provide her peers with an outlet for expressing their thoughts and feelings in a constructive manner at a particularly difficult time in their lives. She currently attends Smith College and plans to major in Creative Writing.
Gayatri Malhotra (Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY) Although the adult Indian American Community had a magazine that spoke to their needs, Gayatri found that no such publication existed for children. Gayatri created the VishwaKids magazine for children to further peace and tolerance through the understanding of the diverse cultures of India. Gayatri’s project not only serves as a way to educate and entertain Indian American children, it also helps different religious and ethnic groups of the Indian American community find common ground. She currently attends Barnard College and plans to major in Biochemistry and French.
Alexa Louise Muri (Lewis S. Mills, Burlington, CT) The abandoned two-hundred-year-old one-room school house in her town struck Alexa as a wasted opportunity. In cooperation with her local historical society, she turned it into a thriving and educational window on history. She initiated the renovation and secured assistance from Historical Society members and volunteers. And she developed a curriculum on colonial life to bring an important part of our nation’s history to life for grade school children. She currently attends the College of William & Mary and plans to major in International Business.
Tyler Samuel Nighswander (Hamden High School, Hamden, CT) Tyler found that the conventional materials used to teach electronics to children were not sufficiently engaging the children he taught at the Eli Whitney Museum, so he developed materials of his own. Working with another high school student and a college student, Tyler designed a paper schematic glued to fiber board with aluminum strips; he later supplied copper strips which enabled the children to place electrical components anywhere on the board, thereby constructing unique models. Tyler’s innovations made learning electronics much more fun for his students. They taught basic concepts and problem solving-skills and helped children experiment and apply those concepts to their own creations. He currently attends Carnegie Mellon University and plans to major in Computer Science.
Benjamin Kevin Nissan (Collegiate School, New York, NY) While at a school assembly, Benjamin learned about the dangers of climate change from a former student who is an environmentalist and became determined to find new ways to reduce the environmental impact of human activity. One day, while looking up at the lights in school, he decided to tackle strategies for reducing his school’s energy consumption. After some detective work, he discovered that the school was wasting a lot of energy: old lighting fixtures provided the same amount of light all the time, whether or not sunlight was streaming in through the windows. Benjamin developed a plan to reduce energy waste through the use photosensors that dimmed the artificial light in a room according to the level of ambient light that was available. His work demonstrated that the energy used from lighting could be reduced by 80-90% in most rooms and informed the school’s Physical Plant and Finance Directors’ decision to implement a project to make the necessary modifications over three years. Benjamin’s work serves as a model for others to take an active role in addressing climate change and environmental issues. He currently attends Harvard College.
George Henry Ortega (Dalton High School, New York, NY) George’s little brother never spent enough time brushing his teeth: the reasons to brush were too abstract to convince him to brush long enough to do the job. But what if he could get his little brother to view brushing as doing heroic battle against evil germs? George transformed the abstract concept of a germ into a somewhat evil-looking cartoon-like character that he affixed to a home-made timer. The result was getting his brotherexcited by the notion that if he brushed his teeth for two minutes, he could defeat evil germs like the one on his timer. George worked with the National Foundation for Entrepreneurs to develop his innovative creation into a product that can help children become early adopters of good oral hygiene, an important component of overall health. His product is patent-pending. He currently attends Yale College and plans to major in English and Economics.
Stephanie Paola Peraffan (Forest Hills High School, Forest Hills, NY) Stephanie knew that New York City had a Condom Availability Program that had the potential to reduce teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases among high school students in New York but students in her school were not taking advantage of it. Stephanie worked with Miranda Rupchand to investigate why--and to develop a series of creative strategies to make students aware of the health resources available to them, and encourage them to use them. She currently attends Queensborough Community College.
Priya Gautam Ranade (East Lyme High School, East Lyme, CT) Troubled by the lack of screening guidelines for melanoma, Priya developed an innovative preventive screening program to minimize melanoma deaths. The computer simulation model she developed has the potential of reducing the toll taken by melanoma, the only cancer for which incidence and death rate continues to increase. She currently attends the University of Connecticut and plans to major in Pre-med and Biology.
Miranda Rupchand (Forest Hills High School, Forest Hills, NY) Miranda knew that New York City had a Condom Availability Program that had the potential to reduce teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases among high school students in New York but students in her school were not taking advantage of it. Miranda worked with Stephanie Perrafan to investigate why--and to develop a series of creative strategies to make students aware of the health resources available to them, and encourage them to use them. She currently attends John Jay College and plans to major in Computer Science and Law.
Zak David Smolen (Staples High School, Westport, CT) Zak was an avid fencer who needed more practice than he could rely on sparring partners to provide. He transformed a personal interest into a public benefit by using his knowledge of physics, golf balls and counter weights to invent an automated fencing practice target that his coach plans to have the fencing team use from now on. He currently attends Union College and plans to major in Electrical Engineering.
Michael Tom (Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT) Recognizing that people with the medical condition known as neurogenic bladder have great difficulty determining when their bladders are full, Tom invented a tensiometer to measure tissue tension. Tom’s invention could be developed into an implantable device that that could send individuals a signal about bladder fullness when they needed it. It has the potential to improve the quality of life for millions of people who experience complications associated with neurogenic bladder, such as urinary incontinence, infections of the bladder and kidney stones. He currently attends Harvard College and plans to major in Physics.
Heather Marie Allen (Somers High School) knew from first-hand experience how difficult it was for hospitalized children to write and draw comfortably in bed. She creatively improved the lives of hospitalized children by designing and producing special stainless steel lap easels that make it easier for bedridden children to draw and write. She will use her scholarship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Stephen Ross Bukowsky (The Morgan School, Clinton) pioneered new designs for pulse jet engines. Anjali Deshmukh (East Lyme High School) knew that her classmates could do more to help victims of floods, earthquakes, and mudslides abroad and poverty and bigotry at home. She devised a range of creative strategies to mobilize her classmates to become more engaged in supporting world disaster-relief efforts and in fighting bigotry in their school and community. Arthur Philip Dutra (O.H. Platt High School, Meriden) designed and built the world's first holonomic or omni-directional-drive robot using VEX components. Noting that his community seemed largely oblivious to the history that had shaped it, Peter Eason (Fairfield Prep) brought the past alive in his hometown by researching, taking photographs for, writing, and publishing a small book that made it easy for residents and visitors to take an informative historical walking tour. He donated funds raised by the sale of the book to the local historical society. Gregory Michael Fisher (South Windsor High School) created a summer soccer program for pre-schoolers as an innovative way of supporting his local food bank. Sean Dolan Hildebrandt (Branford High School) created photographs of abandoned industrial buildings that encourage New Englanders to look at the legacies of their industrial past in fresh ways. Whitney Dyshaun Kelley (Co-Op High School, New Haven) used imagination and enterprise to meet the challenge of making New Haven's program in Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership (LEAP) more responsive to the needs of the young people it serves by developing the program's Youth Council. She also engaged as a poet some of the same social issues she addressed in her work with urban youth. She will use her scholarship at Temple University. Aerim Kim (Greenwich High School) assisted North Korean refugees and increased student awareness of the problems faced by refugees around the world by creating a Refugee Aid Club in her school. Hugo Lara (East Haven High School) was disturbed that his community held negative stereotypes of artists as self-centered and unconcerned about the world around them, and that the arts were not encouraged in his town. He countered that stereotype and the place of the arts in East Haven by creating a club called STATE of the Arts--Students Taking Action Through Expressive Arts, which turned an abandoned storefront in downtown East Haven into a vibrant gallery and performance space for young artists. He also created Art with a Heart, a program to deliver one hundred art kits to children in third world countries where war and poverty have disrupted their education. Erica LeCount (Bunnell High School, Stratford) was troubled by the fact that many local minority children whose families count not afford a conventional sports camp missed the chance to play soccer, the sport she loved. So she created the Kick Start Youth Soccer Clinic for these children, motivating varsity soccer players at three high schools to donate their services, and persuading local businesses to donate funds. Concerned about the negative effects of bullying on students from elementary school to high school, Dana Lovallo (RHAM High School, Hebron) made an innovative video that helped spark constructive community conversations about bullying locally and around the state. Troubled by watching fellow teenagers in his community succumb to despair and defeat in the face of the violence and poverty that surrounded them, Jonathan Moreno (Bridgeport High) wrote, composed and recorded an album of Christian rap songs designed to inspire them to recognize both their vulnerability and their potential, to reject anger, and to strive to achieve positive goals. Sales of the recording raised money for his church. Tara Marie Moriarty (New Fairfield High School) created an organization that transformed the social experience of children in Special Education in her school by integrating them with peers in a range of activities outside the classroom. Danielle Patrice Myers (Hartford High School) created, produced, and directed a distinctive stage production about Black history and culture. Rachel Kauder Nalebuff (Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford) compiled a collection of first period narratives'¯ from women around the world into a book that will help illuminate, with empathy, humor and insight, a usually invisible aspect of women's lived experience. New York Times article on Rachel Nalebuff's project Charles Gordon Nathanson (Hamden High) expanded the science and math offerings for top students at his high school by developing a curriculum and teaching two advanced courses himself. Edward Joseph Quish (Jonathan Law High School, Milford) creatively explored connections between poetry, philosophy, and science. Realizing that many students couldn't even locate major countries on the map, Marybeth Tamborra (Norwich Free Academy) organized ground-breaking activities to spread knowledge of world geography. Colin Theys (Amity Regional High School, Woodbridge) turned his personal fascination with creating imaginative, compelling 3D computer graphics into an internet-based international network of artists that pioneered in sharing new experimental techniques and applications. He brings an inventive, creative spirit to a range of endeavors from animation to rocketry. Vadim Tsipenyuk (The Hopkins School, New Haven), came up with an innovative way of addressing the problem of senior citizens' wariness of computers; the program he created, Surfing USA, helped senior citizens at Woodbridge Senior Center learn to navigate the information superhighway. Mansur Iskanderovitch Tokmouline (New Fairfield High School) addressed the problem of how to help minors who have committed misdemeanors get back on track by devising a plan to create a Juvenile Review Board in his town. Angeline Marie Ucci (East Hampton High and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts) channelled personal emotional challenges into a series of paintings that creatively rework familiar paintings by famous artists into commentaries on contemporary culture. Jenny R. Urfer (Newtown High School) developed a set of innovative and successful strategies for teaching pottery skills to the blind. Lily Yeung (Danbury High) responded to the genocide in Darfur by conceiving and helping to produce a short documentary that became an effective means of combating apathy and ignorance.
The Renee B. Fisher Foundation congratulates all of these students for their innovative solutions to individual and community problems, and for demonstrating their creativity in a broad range of fields.
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