Society for Science has announced Maya Gandhi among the 30 finalists in the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge — the nation’s premier STEM research competition for middle school students.
Maya, an 8th Grader at Fairmont Private School – Anaheim Hills Campus, entered the completion with her OCSEF project, titled “Optimizing Plant Microbial Fuel Cell Energy Output: The Effect of Anodic Substance and Configuration.” The project, first introduced at the 2023 OCSEF, received the 1st place award in category Energy Conversion / Alternative Energy.
In addition to receiving cash award, Maya and the rest of the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge finalists will travel to Washington, DC from October 28 – November 2 to participate in the Finals Week of the competition. Each student will be judged on both their science research projects as well as their demonstration of collaboration and critical thinking skills during team challenges, emphasizing the importance and value of teamwork in STEM fields.
Maya is interested in eco-friendly sources of energy production. “It is concerning that fossil fuels still account for the majority of our world’s energy while being responsible for over 90% of the harmful carbon emissions in our atmosphere,” she told Society for Science. While researching alternative energy sources, she came across a study exploring plant microbial fuel cells. This technology generates electricity using living plants and bacteria residing in the soil. She decided to explore different substances to use for the fuel cell’s anode, the electrode where electricity flows from, to boost energy output.
Earlier this week Society for Science announced the Top 300 Junior Innovators that were chosen from the nearly 2000 students applied for the national contest. Among the 300, 11 OCSEF students were selected. Below is the list of students who made it to the 300 list:
Sharvil Buradkar
Seventh grade, Lakeside Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“Hot Water Nitinol Engine”
Ivy Dinh
Eighth grade, Warner Middle School, Westminster School District
“The Effects of Commonly Polluted Items on Concrete Bricks”
Maya Gandhi
Eighth grade, Fairmont Private School – Anaheim Hills Campus
“Optimizing Plant Microbial Fuel Cell Energy Output: The Effect of Anodic Substance and Configuration”
Donna Kim Huynh
Eighth grade, Warner Middle School, Westminster School District
“The Effects of Exogenous Melatonin on the Germination and Growth of Bamboo”
Audrey Kim
Seventh grade, Sierra Vista Middle School, Irvine Unified School District
“BeeHappy and BeeSion: A Raspberry Pi-Based Artificial Intelligence Live-Streaming Camera Detector and a Portable Prototype With a Mobile App for Monitoring and Alerting About the Condition of Beehives”
Kayla Jing Lam
Seventh grade, Pioneer Middle School, Tustin Unified School District
“Which Recyclable Home Products Make the Best Natural Fertilizer for Plant Growth?”
Esther Lee
Eighth grade, Warner Middle School, Westminster School District
“The Effects of Commonly Polluted Items on Concrete Bricks”
Elijah Keith Lunde
Eighth grade, Fairmont Private School – North Tustin
“It’s All About Offense”
Maryan Nguyen
Eighth grade, Warner Middle School, Westminster School District
“The Effects of Exogenous Melatonin on the Germination and Growth of Bamboo”
Yazmin Orozco
Eighth grade, Warner Middle School, Westminster School District
“The Effects of Commonly Polluted Items on Concrete Bricks”
Meghana Wuppalapati
Sixth grade, Deerfield Elementary School, Irvine Unified School District
“Battle of the Best: Testing the Antibacterial Properties of Extracts From Azadirachta indica (Neem) vs. Piper betel (Betel) Against E. coli”