Shreya Kaveti
Yashaswi Manneru
July 2019
Queens High School for
the Sciences
Jamaica, NY
Two student finalists from Queens
High School for the Sciences at York
College are preparing to compete
for the first time in the eighth-annual
Spellman High Voltage Electronics
Clean Tech Competition in July.
Sophomores Shreya and Yashaswi
will compete with other student
finalists from California, Colorado,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, as
well as with students from abroad
representing countries such as China,
Singapore, the Philippines and
Zimbabwe.
The students were selected from
more than 500 entries among nearly
1,200 registrants from 40 countries.
Teams vie for $60k in monetary
prizes at the competition finals, which
will take place July 17 at New York
City’s Cooper Union. New for 2019,
the competition has expanded from
10 to 20 finalists with the introduction
of two categories: Mitigating the
Effects of Climate Change, and
Resource Preservation. Capitalizing
on this year’s competition theme,
“Toward a Greener Tomorrow” that
focuses on changing the course of
the environmental future Shreya and
Yashaswi will present their project to
judges. The project offers a solution to
a specific issue relating to protecting
resources using clean technology.
“It was really surprising to find out
we got in,” said Shreya, speaking
on behalf of her partner who wasn’t
present for the interview. “We are
honored to be part of the competition
and share our thoughts. Showing that
we have a solution to the issue was a
big accomplishment.”
After they researched and read
through journal articles, they became
interested in finding an alternative to
making paper to stop deforestation
and reduce the cutting down of
trees. Shreya and Yashaswi’s project
focuses on the effect of extracting
lignin-like compounds from chlorella
green algae and oscillatoria bluegreen
algae on the production of an
eco-friendly paper source.
Shreya Kaveti and Yashaswi Manneru (not
pictured) researching journal articles to learn
more about cyanobacteria and their potential
in producing lignin-like compounds. (Photo by
Shanaz Baksh)
“In our research, we found that
recycling paper is not as effective
as people may portray it to be, so
instead of making recycled paper
and getting toxic lignans from that,
we wanted to find a different way
of making paper,” said Shreya.
“Blue-green algae is abundant, easily
found, and can easily be grown. It
can, however, be toxic sometimes
because when it decays it releases
toxic substances. So we thought if we
can take something that is actually
toxic to our environment and make
good use out of it, it can make it
efficient and eco-friendly.”
Shreya Kaveti and Yashaswi Manneru (not
pictured) extract lignin-like compounds from
cyanobacteria. (Photo courtesy of Shanaz Baksh)
Science research teacher Shanaz
Baksh has been running the school’s
science program for several years and
says the students learn several skills,
including research, how to present,
how to search/read a journal article,
and how to write a proposal.
“They learn these skills and develop a
project that they’re passionate about,”
said Baksh. “When they were accepted
into the competition I was ecstatic! The
team will meet people from all over the
nation, which is very nice, and they
will get to meet their peers that have
also been working on science projects.
We’re very happy, excited and
supportive all around. We want Shreya
and Yashaswi to enjoy the experience.”
In its eighth year, the international
competition is the only outcome-based
STEM-focused research and design
challenge for pre-college youth,
inspiring them to pursue STEM studies
and careers. The program is hosted by
New York-based not-for-profit Center for
Science, Teaching and Learning (CSTL),
led by STEM crusader and advocate
Dr. Ray Ann Havasy. It is sponsored
by New York-based Spellman HV
Electronics, a leader in high voltage
technology in the medical, industrial
and scientific fields.
The Clean Tech Competition gives
students the opportunity to tap into
their innovative ideas addressing
environmental concerns and bringing
those ideas to life by applying them
to solving real problems affecting the
environment and climate.
“Each year we see our Clean Tech
Competition grow in its demand and
participation, which shows us that we
are achieving our goal in attracting
students interested in STEM studies
along with generating their awareness
and interest in environmental and
climate issues,” explains Havasy, CSTL’s
Executive Director. “STEM careers are
crucial with the demand of our society
in terms of climate change. Hopefully,
as these students meet professionals
in the field and get to know what is
available in terms of careers, they will
decide to stay in the STEM field.”
Havasy credited Spellman HV
Electronics for connecting and
inspiring middle- and high school
students who may be interested in a
career in the STEM field.
“As main sponsor of CSTL’s Clean
Tech Competition, we have had
the privilege of seeing the amazing
creativity and ingenuity of today’s
youth and how their projects can play
an instrumental role in addressing
global climate change and other
environmental challenges,” said Dr.
Loren Skeist, President, Spellman
HV Electronics. “It is important that
business leaders continue to support
the importance of STEM and inspire
the next generation of environment
and climate-change leaders. We
look forward to seeing this year’s
competitors from across the United
States and from around the globe who,
we are sure, will once again impress
us with their projects along with their
knowledge, creativity and problemsolving
capabilities.”
22 TIMESLEDGER, JULY 12-18, 2019 BT QNS.COM
/QNS.COM
