July 14, 2022 – Three Team Duval students took home top honors for their work in the 2022 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
Kristi Biswas, a student at Paxon School for Advanced Studies, attained a second-place George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award for her research into Alzheimer’s disease, while Stanton College Preparatory School’s Emma Lee and Eric Lee earned first-place Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Special Awards for their work in aerospace communication.
Biswas, a rising senior, said her research into how neurodegenerative diseases are genetically inherited was very personal and dedicated to her grandmother, who passed away from Alzheimer’s.
“My dad has a painful memory of when he went to visit her in Bangladesh because she could not recognize him due to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Biswas. “I hope to continue pursuing research in neurodegenerative diseases in the future to find therapeutic targets so that no one else has to go through the painful experience of losing a loved one to a deadly disease.”
Biswas said conducting research for the science fair changed her life and helped her refine her goals.
“My goal is no longer to win the Nobel prize or become ‘the best researcher in the world,’” said Biswas. “It is now to carry out research that will change the world and improve our knowledge on these deadly diseases.”
Kristi’s outstanding research awarded her a second-place award of $2,000.
Emma and Eric, siblings from Stanton College Preparatory School, used their project, Simulating Astronautic Information Transfer Through the Implementation of Optical Laser Technology, to demonstrate the use of visible light communication (VLC) in aerospace communication and information transfer.
Through the creations of a robot-camera prototype activation system to model a potential application of laser light in these areas, Emma and Eric set out with the goal to find faster and more reliable data transfer mediums.
Emma and Eric’s research awarded them a first-place award of $1,000 under the ISEF Special Awards. All three talented students each received special recognition this week from the School Board during its regular monthly meeting.
