Five Flint Regional Science Fair (FRSF) senior division finalists earned all-expense-paid trips to the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of their awards at the March competition – three as competitors, and two as student observers.
Akash Rathod, 18, a senior at Okemos High School, placed 4th in the Environmental Engineering division for his project, Using Raw Bamboo Waste to Sustainably Purify Water. Akash also earned a Special Award for use of Science for Development from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Neehal Tumma, 17, a senior at Port Huron Northern High School also earned a 4th place award in Microbiology for his project, Identifying Novel Mechanisms of Quorum Sensing Receptor Protein RpfR: Relevance to the BDSF Quorum Sensing Signaling Pathway.
Joseph Kopka, a senior at Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, attended as a competitor, presenting his research project, Water Injection for Gasoline Heat Engine.
Mariah Collins and Shiloh Maliskey, both from Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, attended as student observers and were encouraged to engage and learn more about the fair process in hopes of returning as competitors in years to come.
The International Science & Engineering Fair (ISEF) hosted more than 1,800 students from 80 countries or regions. The Flint area participants competed against more than 1,400 other projects across 22 different disciplines.
