An app to prevent student dropout. A regenerating worm that might treat multiple sclerosis. A mushroom that could make paper-making more green.
All three are research projects that D-FW high school students are presenting at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, or ISEF, in Dallas’ Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center from May 14 to 19. Considered the world’s largest pre-college STEM competition, the fair assembles over a thousand students attempting to solve problems in fields like biology, computer science and math.
Over ninety Texas finalists — including 16 from the D-FW area — sacrificed weekends and hours of sleep to complete their research alongside high school classwork. They are now competing for nearly $9 million in awards, prizes and scholarships.
“I really think it’s important for us as young scientists to start interacting and start discovering,” said Alanna Polyak, ISEF finalist and a junior at Plano West Senior High School. “So then eventually, when we progress later in life, we can publish [research] and actually help the broader scope of the world.”
Cells, apps and mushrooms
During ISEF, hosted by the Society of Science, students present their research to judges, attend panels and meet like-minded peers from around the world. Students also swap enamel pins representing where they’re from — a pickle for Pittsburgh, for example — and show off their pins on competition lanyards.
Polyak’s project was inspired by her older sister, who has multiple sclerosis. At a school biology club meeting, Polyak cut up flatworms called planaria and watched their heads and tails regenerate. She wondered whether the cells that gave planaria their regenerating superpowers could help the brain heal from multiple sclerosis.
To test her hypothesis, she first mimicked multiple sclerosis-like symptoms in earthworms. Then she injected stem cells from planaria into the earthworms. When she saw that the earthworms’ cells were starting to fix themselves, she knew who to share the good news with.
“I called [my sister],” Polyak said, “and I was like, there is no way this is working. And she was pretty shocked.”
Andy Qin, a junior at Plano West Senior High School, blended his passion for computer science with his identity as a student. He created a computer model to explain why students may be failing a class and offer feedback on how to improve. He thinks it could help students in online classes who lack one-on-one time with a teacher.
To fine tune his computer model, Qin read up on education and computer science. He said that researching as a high schooler has taught him how to handle failure.
“I think just the process of starting alone is really important,” he said, “because slowly, you will grow.”
Shivani Nathan’s project began with a book. A sophomore from Jasper High School in Plano, she learned how white-rot fungi can bleach tree bark when reading Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life. Nathan investigated whether these fungi could provide a greener way to bleach the raw materials used to make paper. A common method of doing so — called kraft pulping — releases compounds like sulfur that are bad for the environment.
Though balancing the research with her schoolwork was difficult, Nathan said, the experience has empowered her to keep asking scientific questions.
“It’s really good preparation for going into research in the future, because I have an interest in it now, and it’s something I want to do,” said Nathan, wearing red mushroom earrings.
Members of the public can meet the students and learn about their research projects on Thursday, May 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Downtown Dallas. Grand prize winners will be announced 9 a.m. on Friday, May 19.
Adithi Ramakrishnan is a science reporting fellow at The Dallas Morning News. Her fellowship is supported by the University of Texas at Dallas. The News makes all editorial decisions.
