91µ¼º½

Illaria Liedtke, Junior, Rye Country Day School, Rye, New York, USA

Illaria Liedtke, 17, of Rye, New York, received the $10,000 H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research for for studying brain cells using magnets. Nervous system diseases can disrupt calcium signaling in brain cells called astrocytes. Researchers increasingly believe astrocytes play an important role in brain disease, but there are few ways to precisely control them remotely. Inspired by the physics of magnetic levitation, Illaria trialed a way to use magnets to modify signals sent from astrocyte cells. To do this, she first created a material that responds to magnetic fields. In the lab, she added the material to astrocyte cells. When she exposed the cells to magnets, their calcium signaling, which the cells use to communicate, changed. Different magnetic conditions made different patterns. Illaria also studied the biology of the system. She confirmed that a channel in the astrocytes called TRPV4 was responsible for the changes in calcium signaling. Under conditions that mimic a brain injury, she was able to use the system to reduce signs of cellular stress. Her research could help lead to new therapies that regulate brain activity without implanted electrical devices.

Aleksandra Petkova, Acad. Luybomir Chakalov, Sofia, Bulgaria

Aleksandra Petkova, 18, of Sofia, Bulgaria, received the $10,000 H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Researchfor her research on the relationship between a boat’s speed and the shape of its wake. When a boat travels faster than the waves it makes in the water, it makes a narrower wake. This type of wake creates more drag on the boat, which slows it down. Aleksandra looked at aerial photos of wakes and tested wake angles using a remote-controlled boat and a yacht. She figured out how to use a ship’s size to predict the speed it can travel before it starts leaving a narrow wake. Aleksandra’s ship wake model could help ship operators minimize drag by traveling at the ideal speeds for their ships.

Tanishka Aglave, Strawberry Crest High School, FL, United States of America

Tanishka Balaji Aglave, 15, of Valrico, Florida, received the H. Robert Horvitz Prize for Fundamental Research of $10,000 for her investigation into a natural alternative treatment against citrus greening, a disease that threatens citrus farming in many parts of the world and is currently only treated with antibiotics. Tanishka injected the trunks of infected trees with an extract from the curry leaf tree, and found through tests that this potential method could effectively and sustainably manage citrus greening disease.Ìý

Gopalaniruddh Tadinada and Rishabh Ranjan, duPont Manual High School, KY, United States of America

Rishabh Ranjan, 17, and Gopalaniruddh Tadinada, 17, of Louisville, Kentucky, received $10,000 for building a custom, automated system to detect gastrointestinal cancer before serious symptoms appear. The team’s system combines robotics and machine learning to analyze blood samples to identify healthy patients, as well as those with pancreatic, colorectal or hepatic cancers, in only three hours at an estimated cost of only $300. Detecting these cancers before they metastasize could make treatment much simpler and more effective.

Rebecca Cho, Jericho High School, NY, United States of America

Rebecca Cho, 17, of Jericho, New York, received $10,000 for creating a geological model that incorporates the effects of changing landscapes, climate, sea level and erosion. Her model can be used to investigate ecological changes over 20 million years in the western U.S. and potentially predict the effects of climate change on the area’s biodiversity.

Neha Mani, Hunter College High School, NY, United States of America

Neha Mani, 17, of Bronx, New York received $10,000 for her quantitative research of microbiology, which uses a diagnostic method to distinguish bacterial motion to diagnose Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) by mathematically separating swarming from swimming.