Extra Credit
USAID Science for Development award winners share their wisdom
Today’s young scientists and innovators display incredible drive, resilience, and passion. Despite restrictions on in-person gatherings, 16 high schoolers presented innovative solutions to international development challenges to earn USAID’s Science for Development Award at the 2021 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held virtually earlier this year. Regeneron ISEF is the world’s largest science and engineering fair for high school students, and annually brings together over 1,800 students from around the globe.
Since 2014, USAID has participated as a Special Award Organization at Regeneron ISEF, presenting more than $200,000 to young scientists with the potential to change the lives of people around the world through their innovations.
In past years, USAID awardees have used their winnings to further advance their research, invest in their education, and start new ventures. Find information about all of USAID’s 2021 Science for Development Awardees here and here.
As students around the United States settle into their fall semester and science fair season, USAID would like to share some positive insights from our 2021 winners. We have a lot to learn from these students.
1. Just try it
Many of the awardees started competing in science fairs in primary school. However, Ishaan Javali and Shrey Joshi (First Place, Working in Crisis and Conflict) explain that everyone starts somewhere, and that knowledge grows over time.
“If you’re interested, just start!” says Mirelys Santana Rivera (First Place, Agriculture and Food Security). She suggests not to let fear or shyness limit future scientists’ and researchers’ potential, but instead to ask, explore, and experiment. Mirelys emphasizes that, “STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math] gives you a world of possibilities that will always be waiting for you if you dare to accept them.”
2. Find your passion
The winning projects emerged from the students’ personal passions: challenges that affect their hometowns, the discovery of a widespread issue with little public attention, or health and economic disparities that may affect countless regions or communities.
For example, Aseel Rawashdeh’s (Second Place, Global Health) realization that mosquito-borne illnesses disproportionately affect the Global South, and that many of these illnesses lack treatments or vaccines, led her to research accessible ways to reduce mosquito populations.
Aseel added: “I thought it was unfair how the overwhelming majority of cases and deaths are in the Global South, despite them contributing the least to global emissions, which drive climate change and the subsequent expansion of mosquito populations and habitats.”
3. It’s a group effort
Despite Regeneron ISEF being a competition, the awardees found inspiration in the other participants at the fair. Michelle Sheikh (First Place, Global Health) says that this exposure to “some of the newest and most innovative scientific ideas of [her] generation” has given her open-mindedness and creativity for her future endeavors. Awardees also emphasized the importance of feedback from judges and other mentors present at ISEF with years of experience in the field.
For Michelle, Regeneron ISEF “has enabled [her] to make valuable life-long connections with individuals who are passionate about similar issues, such as the worldwide refugee crisis.”
4. Adapt
For Sanjana Hiremath (Third Place, Agriculture and Food Security), this experience “opened [her] eyes up to how the scientific community can still come together in times of crisis.” The fair’s virtual platform, Z-Fairs, allowed for informal interactions between students, as well as visits to college and career fairs, moderated judging interviews, and formal panel presentations. While this year’s fair looked different than years past, participants were able to adapt to make it a successful celebration of youth innovation and research.
5. Never give up
All the awardees faced challenges: in obtaining standardized materials for experiments (such as a specific strain of mosquito eggs), in perfecting experimentation technique through trial and error, in ensuring adherence to laboratory and safety protocols, in organizing massive amounts of data, in collaborating with teammates virtually, and more. Throughout these difficult periods, they found new ways to move forward. For example, Sriya Teerdhala (Third Place, Agriculture and Food Security) received special permission to access school facilities to conduct her research, sometimes for two to three hours, almost every day after online classes.
6. Stay curious
All awardees are now continuing their academic studies in high school or university, as well as thinking what might be next for their research. While Noah Bigio (Third Place, Climate and Environmental Protection) will focus on academics in the immediate future, he is already brainstorming further experiments he and his team could conduct to make their winning project — EcoAir: Biochar Low-cost Portable Purifier for Indoor Pollution — even more productive. The team plans to experiment with other materials in their Eco-Air unit to test their efficiency to filter gaseous contaminants.
All awardees expressed the same sentiment: “How can I keep learning and improving upon my design?”
About the Author
Celia Laskowski is a Program Analyst and Presidential Management Fellow in USAID’s Bureau for Development, Democracy, and Innovation.
