Team members: Ellen B. (Team Lead) (Philippines), Valeria S. (Peru), Joaquin S. (Peru), Smriti K. (Nepal), Tanisha T. (Indonesia)
Mentor: Jasmine P. (United States)
“Exploring the Extremes” required participating teams to offer new solutions to the major issues of our time.
The winning team, “Go Green Sea Blue”, took an ambitious, multi-pronged approach to tackling the complicated problem of oil spills, which pollute our oceans and threaten our marine ecosystems, our wildlife, and even our coastal environments.
“I loved the brainstorming sessions we had as a team and the passion each member showed for their part was transparent,” says Smirti. “As part of the research and game development team, I learned a lot about oil spills, and this strengthened my motivation for this project. Writing articles for our website helped me improve my writing.”
The team members identified key issues in the handling of oil spills, drawing on their diverse skills.
“Our team members came from diverse backgrounds and brought unique skills to the project,” explains Team Lead Ellen, who found the Challenge “an extremely rewarding experience.”
The Challenges
For example, tracking and locating oil spills, and containing their impact, is often difficult. Clean-up methods are insufficient to prevent long-term damage, and governments often struggle to identify those responsible and hold them accountable.
“This project has been a huge opportunity for me. It has changed my opinion on certain topics and made me realize the importance of having different points of view and of diversity,” says Valeria.
Building on the initial research they conducted, team members held long meetings online to develop a comprehensive approach that addresses several of these deficiencies. Jasmine, who mentored the team (and had supported teams in two previous Junior Academy Challenges), was impressed with their approach.
“I felt incredibly fortunate to work with such an organized team,” she explains. “At the first meeting, the team showed me their action plan for the whole challenge. The level of detail and organization from Go Green Sea Blue was absolutely remarkable.”
The students devised a five-point approach to address the devastating impact of oil spills on the oceans and the threat they pose to marine and human life. It wasn’t always easy.
“Though my team faced a lot of setbacks due to time differences and the tight schedule, we pulled together and figured out a way to make it work,” says Tanisha. “We made sure that we put quality over quantity and invested our efforts to do the best that we were able to do.”
The Team’s Process
As a first component of their solution, the high-schoolers proposed the creation of a machine-learning model that relies on satellite images to detect oil spills, using Radarsat Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) technology and Automatic Identification System (AIS) to identify the most likely perpetrators.
Next, they suggested developing a mapping tool that would combine static and real-time data to create a centralized, interactive map for environmental disaster response, improving communication among environmental experts working on ocean pollution. To improve response time, they also proposed developing an eco-friendly mothership that incorporates early warning systems and GPS sensors to track and help clean up oil spills, using mini robots powered by photovoltaic cells that can operate for several weeks.
Raising awareness of the risks posed by oil spills, and the importance of maintaining ocean ecosystems among the population, especially for children, was the fourth element of the team’s extensive solution. To make learning fun and appealing, they devised an interactive game that tests the knowledge of users of all ages.
Finally, the team members proposed a new policy: the creation of a World Association for Marine Oil Spills which would work with existing marine institutions, such as the European Safety Maritime Agency and the Caspian Environmental Program, to improve international cooperation, raise funds for dedicated scientific research, and organize events– and also identify loopholes in existing legislation, and propose new laws.
“We had good times in the meetings– sometimes fun, sometimes just excited by the progress we made day by day,” says Joaquin. “Even though we worked until the late hours of the night and the early hours of the morning on some days, we are very satisfied with the results we have achieved.”
Dr. Groome presents during The New York Academy of Sciences’ 205th Annual Meeting.
Nearly 3000 students were inducted into the Junior Academy as part of its newest cohort.
Published November 14, 2023
By Meghan Groome, PhD Academy Contributor
At its 205th Annual Member Meeting on November 14, 2023, The New York Academy of Sciences launched a new tradition: the induction of our Junior Academy members into our membership ranks.
The Junior Academy has been engaging students since its founding in 1948 when the Academy began hosting the City-wide science and engineering fair. The arrival of this research competition dramatically increased the need for mentored research experiences in labs around the City. Recognizing the opportunity gap, the Academy began hosting regular meetups. These conversations led to a match making program that eventually found a new home online with the creation of Launchpad in 2016. Through Launchpad, a matchmaking and collaboration platform designed to help students find research partners and mentors, Junior Academy programming became more accessible than ever before. Today, any student with a device and access to the internet can participate in a world-class mentored research program.
At the Junior Academy, we work with partners to build a community of students and mentors who work in teams to solve open innovation challenges. The challenges are real world problems scoped out by our sponsors and brought to life by our education team. Since moving online, we’ve served over 10,000 students from over 100 countries by administering over 50 open innovation challenges.
Working in a group presents a unique set of challenges, especially in STEM research – which is itself no easy task. However, we know that diverse teams produce better research and innovation. We believe – and the proof is in our evaluations – that great teamwork can be taught and mentored. Collaboration, communication, and creativity are essential components of teamwork and skills that will translate to overcoming obstacles in any setting. We at the Academy are proud to provide a space for students and mentors to come together to participate in engaging STEM programming that believes in science for the greater good.
The Junior Academy wouldn’t be possible without the mentorship that our members provide. Research has proved, time and time again, that mentors are often the difference between loving STEM and persisting in STEM. Their energy and enthusiasm have allowed us to make a generational impact both abroad and in New York. Our members have donated over 4.5 million hours of their time to mentor the next generation.
At our 205th Annual meeting, we inducted 2,834 students from around the world into the Academy. These students completed our rigorous semester-long research experience during the 2022-2023 School Year.
Last year, over 700 teams of students:
Designed ways to use 5G and the Internet of Things to improve energy efficiency;
Explored the extremes of space, underwater and the edges of scientific discovery;
Documented the impacts of climate change on public health;
Discovered the connection between forest management and a sustainable future;
Designed urban micro gardens to address malnutrition and hunger in their neighborhoods;
Led the way in understanding the connections between human rights and cybersecurity;
Uncovered decades of water mismanagement to design and retrofit new, safe drinking water systems;
Rose to the challenge of building green schools, homes and other community structures; and finally,
Made healthier snacks that balance taste and nutrition.
At the Academy, we like to say that we shape the future of science. And that’s very true, but it’s important to point out that our youngest members aren’t just the future. They’re doing incredible things right now.
Transcript
Thank you for welcoming us to the Annual Meeting. My name is Dr. Meghan Groome and I’m the Senior Vice President for Education at the Academy. I’m here to represent all of the people at the Academy who make our education programs so powerful including the program team of Kaitlin Green, Rosemary Puckett and Sabrina Debler. I’d also like to thank the entire education team, AV/ IT, communications, membership and marketing teams.
This is truly a cross organizational effort and I want to thank everyone from the executive office to HR for all their hard work to bring this program to life. I’d especially like to thank our Advancement team who raised the funds to allow this program to be completely free to our students. And with that, I’d like to thank our generous sponsors who support our work with not only their funding but also their guidance, insight, and expertise.
They include:
The Royal Academy of Engineering in Sweden
The J. Christopher Stevens Virtual Exchange Initiative i.e. Stevens Initiative sponsored by the US Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute and supported by the Bezos Family Foundation and the governments of Morocco and the United Arab Emirates
Clifford Chance’s Cornerstone Initiative
Ericsson
The Ministry of Higher Education of Oman, and
NEOM
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
S & P Global
I’d also like to thank our incredible on the ground partners including the Royal Health Awareness Society in Jordan, Mentor Arabia and AMU.
I’d also like to thank all the parents, teachers, siblings, friends and alumni who cheer on our students, encourage them to apply and help explain to worried parents that no, they really are up at 3am watching a live stream about the flexible use of electricity.
Lastly, we also would like to take a moment to thank our international cohort of Mentors who worked with student teams and guided them through The Junior Academy learning process. Our members are the engine of our programs, serving as mentors, judges and now, a generation of alumni. Their energy and enthusiasm have allowed us to make a generational impact both abroad and especially in New York. We are so grateful for your time and expertise.
It’s clear from the research that mentors are often the difference between loving STEM and persisting in STEM. If you have a moment, I’d like you to think about your own mentor. How they shaped you. How they gave you a critical boost. I’d personally like to thank my mentor, Ruth Cohen, and I encourage all of us to thank our mentors and pass their wisdom forward to the next generation.
With all of my thanks out of the way, I’d like to talk about the Junior Academy itself. Founded in 1948, the Academy began hosting the City-wide science and engineering fair. The arrival of this research competition dramatically increased the need for mentored research experiences in labs around the City. Recognizing the opportunity gap, the Academy began hosting regular meetups. These conversations led to a match making program that eventually found a new home online in 2016.
With the advent of a new online platform, mentored research experiences could be moved online and scaled to any student with a device and access to an internet connection. In today’s Junior Academy, we work with partners to build a community of students and mentors who work in teams to solve open innovation challenges. The challenges are real world problems scoped out by our sponsors and brought to life by our education team. Since we moved online, we’ve served over 10,000 students from over 100 countries by administering over 50 open innovation challenges.
Last year, nearly 700 teams:
Designed ways to use 5G and the Internet of Things to improve energy efficiency,
Explored the Extremes of Space, underwater and the edges of scientific discovery,
Documented the impacts of climate change on public health,
Discovered the connection between forest management and a sustainable future,
Designed urban micro gardens to address malnutrition and hunger in their neighborhoods,
led the way in understanding the connections between human rights and cybersecurity,
Uncovered decades of water mismanagement to design and retrofit new, safe drinking water systems
Rose to the challenge of building green schools, homes and other community structures, and finally, my favorite,
Made healthier snacks that balance taste and nutrition.
In addition to the Junior Academy, nearly 800 students participated in the 1000 Girls, 1000 Futures program. Students worked in close-knit teams with mentors to build core scientific and work ready skills that complement their research projects.
On its own, STEM research is hard. In a team, STEM reach can be even harder. But we know that diverse teams produce better research and innovation. We believe, and the proof is in our evaluations, that great teamwork can be taught and mentored. Collaboration, communication, and creativity are essential components of team work, and for that matter, overcoming obstacles in any setting. We at the Academy are proud to provide a space for students and mentors to come together to participate in engaging STEM programming that believes in science for the greater good.
Bringing together young people from around the globe in a STEM-enriched environment can open doors and prepare students for science paths otherwise unknown and we are so pleased to be a part of their STEM journey.
Today, we inducted 2,834 students from the Junior Academy and 1000 Girls 1000 Futures to join the New York Academy of Sciences as Young Members. We are so proud of you and pleased to connect you with the legacy of the Academy. At the Academy, we like to say that we shape the future of science. And that’s very true, but I always like to point out that our youngest members aren’t just the future, they’re doing incredible things right now.
Please join me in welcoming the Junior Academy Class of 2023 into the New York Academy of Sciences.
Team members: Al-Zahraa A. (Team Lead) (Oman), Tahra A. (Oman), Miaad A. (Oman), Taher A. (Oman)
Mentor: Venkatesan Subramaniyan (India)
The Middle Eastern Sultanate of Oman is vulnerable to extreme weather events like hurricanes and air depressions, which can cause severe damage and threaten lives.
In Spring 2022, the New York Academy of Sciences ran a Junior AcademyInnovation Challenge for high school students in Oman with a passion for science, focused on designing Smart Shelters to prevent loss of life. The challenge was won by four-member team “Our Life is Safer with Smart Shelter”.
“We chose to work on smart shelters because it is very important to protect people during wars or natural disasters,” explains Taher. “We researched and collaborated in meetings to get the best out of our project and raise our knowledge.”
The Team’s Process
Communicating over the Academy’s Launchpad platform, the students first considered the extensive needs of disaster survivors before coming up with solutions to improve shelters, noting that people seeking protection in adverse circumstances often need to spend lengthy periods of time in shelters before the risks subside.
Through online collaboration, and with guidance from their mentor, the students explored all aspects of life inside shelters and developed innovative approaches to enhance energy efficiency and improve the quality of life for residents. “Our team put a lot of effort in reading articles related to our topic, finding solutions to the problems facing us and creating new ideas, which can sometimes be strange,” says Team Lead Al-Zahraa.
The winning team’s submission focused on using data– in particular, the interconnected web of computing devices and digital machines known as the Internet of Things (IoT)– to monitor energy, water and air quality/air usage and improve the efficiency of service provision in the shelters automatically. They also highlighted the use of data to enhance security, register new residents, and to keep track of unsheltered people at risk in order to direct them to shelters with available space.
A Focus on Environmental Sustainability
To generate energy, the team suggested integrating solar panels on shelter roofs and using tidal power in coastal areas. They also recommended deploying nanotechnology water purifiers to remove microbes, chemicals and other contaminants and secure a steady supply of drinking water for shelter residents. Sensors could serve multiple functions in smart shelters: they could be fitted on smart faucets to prevent wasting limited water resources, or be used to enhance flood drainage systems.
From measuring air quality to using smart-cultivation farming to provide food, the winning team addressed many of the complexities involved in providing effective protection to victims of natural disaster or war. Their comprehensive solution also included the use of apps to monitor health and nutrition among shelter residents.
“This experience taught me a lot about Internet of Things (IoT) applications,” says Tahra. “I benefited greatly from the extensive research we did to reach the best possible solution and to fill the gaps as much as possible.”
All-Girl Team Wins Junior Academy Challenge Combating Public Health Misinformation.
Published October 5, 2023
By Nicole Pope Academy Education Contributor
Collaborating across borders, U.S.-based student Angel and Asmaa from Jordan won New York Academy of Sciences’ Junior Academy Innovation Challenge with a text-based campaign designed to combat online misinformation and provide young people with accurate facts about public health issues. The two participants were part of an all-female STEM team that also included participants from Lebanon and Oman.
Angel, aged 15, who lives in upstate New York, and Asmaa, aged 16, based in Amman, Jordan, have never met in person– but the two high school students got to know each other well over an intense 10-week period in the spring.
Both passionate about science, the teenagers collaborated online, alongside other team members from Lebanon and Oman, to compete in New York Academy of Sciences’ Junior AcademyInnovation Challenge, “Combating Misinformation about Public Health.” The Junior Academy is a virtual, international network of students aged 13-17 who have a deep interest in STEM and work together to solve society’s greatest challenges (“Innovation Challenges”).
For Angel and Asmaa, the experience has been uplifting– not only because their team, “Girls Combating Misinformation,” won the challenge (chosen among 11 teams that submitted final presentations).
“Being part of this challenge has definitely impacted me, in my coursework at school, in other areas in my life. I feel better getting my voice out. I have become more of a scientific thinker overall because you have to come up with a creative solution that attracts people and offers a different approach. I feel I have grown as a person through this project,” said Angel.
Empowering Girls in STEM
Both participants acknowledge that girls sometimes lack the confidence to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
“Girls may think they don’t have enough knowledge to get into STEM. Sometimes, the community places the bar too high, although this may not just affect girls,” said Asmaa.
Globally, women are still under-represented in STEM-related fields, both in education and as practitioners. On average, less than 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women.[1] In general, fewer women than men study life sciences, and the gender gap is even wider in fields like engineering and maths.
Diversity is important for the future of science, which is why the Junior Academy seeks to empower young women in STEM and to encourage them to consider careers in these fields. In 2021-2022, its programs had 63 percent female participation.
At the initial stage, the teammates, coming from diverse backgrounds, assessed each other’s strengths and abilities, communicating through the Junior Academy’s Launchpad online platform.
“We all had different interests coming in, then we started narrowing them down. It was very useful to have their insights, different perspectives. It really helped the project blossom,” said Angel.
She praised the team spirit that developed among the participants as they allocated tasks and responsibilities and started developing and testing their ideas.
Developing an Idea
Before coming up with their innovative approach against misinformation, the team researched how information on vaccines, cancer, tobacco, drugs, mental health, nutrition, and other health conditions is disseminated online. They immersed themselves in their assignment, meeting online every Saturday, reaching out to experts, and carrying out surveys among their peers to gain a better understanding of the problem.
“A lot of misinformation about health affects children and teens through social media,” reflected Asmaa, who said she boosted her research skills during the challenge. “When you start researching a topic, you want to get to the root of it.”
Eventually, the students opted to use text messages as the most impactful way to reach young people, and designed a campaign that would deliver daily, accurate facts on health issues, focusing particularly on correcting misleading information on topics trending on social media. To test their approach, they encouraged peers to sign up to receive these reliable health messages.
“We were stoked to have won the challenge,” said Angel, who suggested to her teammates that they continue working on the project and implement their concept. “We’ll do some outreach and tell the world about our solution.”
Angel and Asmaa said working as a team on this assignment has taught them a lot and strengthened their skills in communication, writing, leadership and problem solving.
“I feel that all of us have gained more confidence in ourselves, and we’ll push to end the STEM gender divide,” Angel says.
Inspired to Inspire
Having a supportive mentor who shared her own expertise and provided guidance and encouragement along the way contributed to their success, Asmaa pointed out. Asmaa believes role models are important, particularly for girls who may find STEM topics daunting.
She credits a charismatic science teacher at her school for kindling her own passion for maths and biology.
“I hope one day I will be able to inspire others to do what they want. To students interested in participating in a challenge, especially girls, I would say: It is a great experience. Don’t hesitate; just go for it. We all make mistakes and we learn from them. That’s how we grow,” said Asmaa.
For teenagers who have not found such inspiration at school, she believes that participating in the Junior Academy would be an exciting way to explore STEM fields.
Asmaa says her involvement in the project has made her more self-assured, and has reinforced her desire to study medicine. Angel, whose primary interests were psychology and the human mind, says the project has sparked her interest in a new field. “After this challenge on public health, I feel I want it to be part of my future,” she said.
The Junior Academy was supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute.
[1] UNESCO, Women in Science 2019
A version of this story was originally published on the Stevens Initiative’s website here.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a debilitating condition that affects the memory and cognitive functions of 5.8 million people in the U.S. alone. You might not expect teenagers to be especially aware of this terrible disease, especially in the middle of a pandemic. Yet the international Junior Academy team formed by Julie (U.S. Team Lead), Tamar (Israel), Rayhan (U.S.), Ashita (U.S.), Sophia (U.S.) and Sanjana (U.S.) chose to work on this common neurodegenerative affliction for the Fall 2021 Junior Academy challenge.
Working with their mentor, Dr. Himanshu Batra (U.S.), the six teens first set out to gain a better understanding of living with AD before going on to develop their innovative solution. Dr. Batra gave the team good advice: “Think aloud: getting out ideas with colleagues makes the idea more tangible and enables a working hypothesis to mature.”
The team members delved into academic studies, conducted interviews with clinicians, and sent out questionnaires.
“I gained significant insights on the magnitude of this pandemic and its effect on patients and the healthcare system,” says Rayhan.
They learned, for example, that COVID-19 had restricted access to AD diagnostics and therapies while also increasing isolation levels for people living with the disease and their caregivers. Between 40% and 50% of Alzheimer’s sufferers experience depression.
Improving Associated Mental Health Outcomes
Their Alzheimer’s Open Inclusive Solution (ALOIS) project aimed to make early screening more accessible and to improve the mental health of Alzheimer sufferers and their caregivers, often affected by depression and anxiety.
“I was able to connect with and learn from like-minded individuals from various regions of the world,” says Sanjana. “Approaching the challenge alongside people with different perspectives and backgrounds allowed me to gain insight into different ways to approach the problem.”
The intense process was a powerful learning experience for the students and an opportunity to forge bonds across borders with like-minded science enthusiasts.
“Throughout this process as a team lead, I learned many things about task management, scheduling and organization,” says Team Lead Julie.
Each participant contributed their own skills and developed new ones as the project progressed.
“Each one of us had a different field in which they were stronger, which created an amazing dynamic,” Tamar explains.
Bringing it All Together
Based on a study that shows significant differences in the patterns of computer usage between cognitively healthy and cognitively impaired people, the students devised a computer extension that analyzes characters per minute (cpm) and pauses per minute (ppm) during users’ everyday tasks. When applied to people at risk of developing AD (primarily those over the age of 65), this home-based early assessment method could contribute to earlier detection of the disease and encourage patients to seek earlier medical advice.
The international team also developed the versatile ALOIS app, which includes an audio feature that could analyze speech while patients undergo the Boston Naming Test, a standard assessment that requires patients to identify a series of drawings. Audio can identify AD with great accuracy.
“The Boston Naming Test idea felt very innovative and I’m excited to see ways we can engineer it and potentially offer it to the general public,” says Sophia.
The app also contains a Virtual Reality (VR) element, based on Escape Room format, that stimulates short-term or long-term memory. Upper body cardiovascular exercises will also be added to the app, to improve blood flow to the brain, a method shown to slow cognitive decline and improve mental health.
The intense development process, taking place between October and December 2021, has been a fantastic learning experience for the six Junior Academy Challenge winners.
“I have learned many new skills, such as audio analysis in Python and graphic design,” says Ashita. “Thank you to The New York Academy of Sciences Junior Academy for facilitating such a thought-provoking challenge and collaboration.”
The Junior Academy was supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute.
Junior Academy participant Sebsa wants to pursue a career that enables her to combine science and entrepreneurship.
Published September 7, 2023
By Nicole Pope Academy Education Contributor
For Sebsa, a 14-year-old student living in Amman, Jordan, it all began with an ad on social media via the Royal Health Awareness Society, urging teens interested in science and innovation to apply for the Junior Academy Challenge.
Sebsa’s curiosity was triggered, but she hesitated at first. Few of her schoolmates shared her passion for science and she had never embarked on a virtual collaborative project.
Yet taking this first step has launched the teen on an exciting new path. Accepted as a Challenge participant, Sebsa teamed up with four other students (one from Jordan, three from the U.S.) to address The Impact of COVID-19 on Non-Communicable Diseases.
“We were all a bit nervous when we first met online,” Sebsa says, adding that it took no time for their initial shyness to evaporate. “I immediately realized: this is the type of people I want to connect with.”
For three months, the teenagers collaborated closely via the online Launchpad platform. They chose to focus on diabetes, a condition that affects millions around the world. First, they had to gain better knowledge of the disease. Sebsa’s primary role was to collect data on diabetes in the Middle East.
“Our mentor helped us identify good resources,” she says.
Mitigating the Impact of COVID
The team then discussed innovative ways to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-related lockdowns and restrictions on the treatment of diabetes, eventually opting to create an application that would enable doctors to monitor their diabetic patients remotely. App development was a new field for Sebsa, who feels she learned a lot from the interaction with her teammates.
Completing the challenge required hard work and pressure felt intense at times, Sebsa says. One of four sisters, she enjoyed strong support at home from her family. The end result justified all her efforts.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved,” Sebsa says, delighted that her team’s project was named one of the finalists with their contribution. “But the proudest person was my mom, because she works in healthcare, and is my science teacher.”
Submitting the Junior Academy project marked the completion of Sebsa’s first international collaboration, but the teen’s journey into science and innovation is just beginning. At school, she was invited to create a 45-minute presentation about her team’s project and talk about her Junior Academy experience with her classmates, who were impressed with her spirit of initiative and newfound knowledge.
Many expressed a wish to follow in her footsteps. Working across borders with like-minded students has boosted Sebsa’s self-confidence.
“She is reaching for the stars and the moon,” jokes her 19-year-old sister Sina.
Building Upon Past Success
Inspired by this first success, Sebsa is constantly seeking new opportunities to learn and shine. In partnership with her 17-year-old sister Simaza and four other participants, she entered a National Competition for Young Entrepreneurship, organized by Entro Gate, and won first place.
After enrolling in a robotics and technology course, Sebsa decided to test her new teamwork skills in a nationwide tournament in Jordan, coming in third in the competition. She has signed up for yet another science program with Jordan’s Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation that focuses on applying science to real-life problem solving.
The Junior Academy Challenge has taught Sebsa important skills such as organization, efficiency, and teamwork. Above all, the experience has fueled her desire to keep pushing her personal boundaries and explore the wide world of science.
“I want to study science, but also entrepreneurship,” says the teenager. “I want a career that links the two and doesn’t just benefit me but enables me to help others.”
The Junior Academy was supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute. A version of this story was originally published on the Stevens Initiative’s website here.
Team Members: Catherine L. (Team Lead) (China), Advika S. (India), Cara C. (United States), Snigdha S. (India), Shruthi D. (United States), Shivani D. (India)
Mentor: Katherine Wert (United States)
Many adolescents struggle with mental health issues and a conflicted relationship with food, brought on by a variety of psychological and social factors–including toxic beauty standards, pressure to be thin, stress and hormones. Eating disorders can have a devastating impact on young people’s mental and physical health.
A six-member international team of science-loving high school students were named the winning team in the Junior Academychallenge “Building Community to Support Student Mental Health” with the creation of Nutribona, a feature-rich app specifically aimed at 13- to 18-year-olds with food concerns.
After consulting with experts and conducting a survey among their peers which revealed a significant prevalence of food-related issues, team members designed this app to help users make better daily nutritional choices. In particular, they wanted to raise awareness of the gut-brain axis, the link between food intake/the consumption of specific nutrients and mood/psychological well-being.
“As I looked into the psychological aspects of Nutribona, I was able to understand the importance of dealing with such disorders at a young age,” says Snigdha. “I realized how big a role an online community has in our daily lives and I believe we were able to create a design that tackles physical and mental health head-on.”
What is Nutribona?
Nutribona offers several innovative features designed to address food-related disorders, such as healthful recipes– alongside several features addressing harmful behaviors such as excessive exercise, episodes of binge/purge, and binge eating. The app also offers access to anonymous chat spaces where users can share their problems with a supportive community and the ability to reach out to psychologists and nutritionists.
Nutribona promotes yoga, a gentle form of exercise that contributes to reducing stress and anxiety and building body strength and flexibility, rather than promoting weight loss. A personal page can be used to track progress. App users can also play games and take part in health-related challenges.
“My favorite part of the challenge is that it offered me a chance to go through a complete design process,” explains Catherine, the Team Lead. “The mindset of design thinking really helps me a lot in building solutions, from research, to interviews, to finally testing.”
Teamwork + Mentorship = Success
This ambitious project was the result of intense teamwork under the guidance of an encouraging mentor.
“Our team was able to work together and divide tasks equally amongst each other,” states Cara. “We collaboratively tested our ideas together and always asked for feedback to improve our work.”
While developing their project, the students felt they learned a lot from each other.
“Even now, as the project is over, I find it hard to believe that I was part of this journey, this incredible experience of learning and discovering and thinking and solving,” says Shivani. “I saw ideas form and evolve and turn into something spectacular.”
The six students are exploring ways to make their app available internationally, and are also considering how to make it commercially viable– eventually deciding that it should be supported by ads carefully selected to prevent a negative impact on users, while considering the necessity of charging a small fee later on.
“Eating difficulties are a major part of mental health. Eating guilt-free is something that everyone should be able to experience,” believes Shruthi. “Looking at our solution, I feel a sense of pride and achievement,” says Advika. “Together we have created a solution that is not only feasible but also viable in the real world.”
Team members:Yuanning (Helen) H. (Team Lead) (United States), Aadi M. (United States), Riya K. (United States), Nachammai A. (United States), Sheila M. (United States), Ayazhan K. (Kazakhstan)
Mentor:Kalyani Neti (India)
As climate change continues to threaten water supplies around the world, the ability to access clean water– a right taken for granted by many people in developed countries– is an ongoing struggle for many populations around the world, particularly in tropical regions. According to the World Health Organization, only 53% of medical facilities in these tropical regions have secure, clean water sources. This results in epidemics of cholera (3 million annually) and diarrhea (1.7 billion cases annually).
Additionally, sepsis from dirty water causes 670,000 infant deaths per year. Six enterprising teens from the United States and Kazakhstan heard the call. The formed Cleaners of Warm Water: Air to Water to Healthcare. They won the Spring 2023 Innovation Challenge on Water Sustainability, sponsored by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). The team consisted of Yuanning (Helen) H. (United States. Team Lead), Aadi M. (United States), Riya K. (United States), Nachammai A. (United States), Sheila M. (United States), and Ayazhan K. (Kazakhstan). They worked under the guidance of their mentor, Kalyani Neti (India), to devise an ingenious solution for an acute problem. That problem: Lack of access to sterile, medical-grade water, crucial for healthcare in the tropics.
A Broad Range of Skills
The team began their mission, coordinating across time zones to meet online, swapping ideas, and considering various approaches. The multidisciplinary nature of the challenge meant they had to draw on a broad range of skills.
“I got to use knowledge from biology, chemistry, and physics to devise a coherent plan for our prototype and to identify a legitimate target group,” says Team Lead Yuanning (Helen). “I learned so much from all my teammates whose different personal experiences led to their different approaches to problems. For example, I, who lives in the cold and moist Northeast of the United States, would never have come up with the idea of creating sterile water for tropical regions.”
Dividing and Conquering the Workload Across Time Zones
Eventually, the six students decided to develop an affordable air-to-water generator that uses fans to capture humidity in the air (typically between 77% and 88% in tropical countries) and turn it into water. Drawing on their respective strengths, they divided the tasks among the group and created focused roles.
Sheila took on a research-centered role. “I read multiple reports of the World Health Organization and the United Nations in addition to research papers to gain a deeper understanding of the numbers and the types of people affected. I am passionate about global, equitable healthcare, so I was excited to use our water sustainability project to address both the problems of water insecurity and inadequate healthcare.”
Her teammate Ayazhan gathered and organized statistical data on water issues in the tropics. “I searched a lot for statistics and learned that water pollution is a really big problem in tropical regions, justifying it with metric research results,” she explains.
The team members’ intense online sessions soon generated exciting new ideas. “It is a rewarding experience to meet every week, share ideas, plan our solution and work on implementing our idea in the real world,” says Nachammai. “I worked on data confirmation, conducted interviews, and evaluated the results produced through our surveys. I also did research on future collaborations and on ways we could improve our prototype and solution as a team.”
Designing Blueprints — and 3D Models
Their efforts resulted in the development of an affordable 3D prototype of their machine, which can generate 63 liters, (half a bathtub) of water. By trapping groundwater molecules before they get contaminated by germs, parasites or chemicals, the air-to-water generator reduces the need for filtering and delivers small amounts of clean water cheaply, using sustainable energy sources.
Team member Aadi was in charge of designing and developing the blueprints as well as the 3D model. “I also created the simulation where I demonstrated the construction along with the explanation of each part of our prototype,” he says. To complement their air-to-water generator, the students also developed an app that facilitates the maintenance of the machine and enables users to find the nearest source of sustainable hydropower to fuel it.
During the third phase of their project, the students focused on marketing their invention, building a website that details the technology used and touts its benefits to potential users. “Each team member brought with them a different skill set and perspective,” says Riya, who worked on the website design. “I really loved working with a team of dedicated and passionate individuals interested in STEM fields.”
And it doesn’t end there. The team members plan to use 3D printing to turn their model into a functioning and marketable machine, and seek to take their project even further by collaborating with local governments and non-profit organizations in the targeted countries.
Team members:Tianze H. (Team Lead) (United States), Tianlai H. (United States), Radwa A. (Egypt)
Mentor:Olusola Ladokun (Nigeria)
Urban gardening can be an effective way to provide fresh and healthy food at a low cost, particularly in parts of the world where food security remains elusive. But it involves many variables– climate, soil, location, sun exposure, type of crop– and urban residents often need education and guidance in order to be successful gardeners right from the start.
Three students — Tianze H. (United States, Team Lead), Tianlai H. (United States), Radwa A. (Egypt) — worked under the guidance of their mentor, Olusola Ladokun (Nigeria) to address this knowledge gap, and ultimately won the Spring 2023 Junior Academy Innovation Challenge with their project, “Family Farming: The Ultimate Planting Companion”. The project aims to promote urban gardening around the world by providing useful tips to city dwellers that enables them to supplement their diet with home grown crops.
“After long discussions we finally settled on the current idea,” says Tianlai. “Personally, I contributed creative ideas for our projects, like using deep learning algorithms in our application. I also worked with my teammates on the slides, adding things that they might have missed.” To identify what information would-be gardeners might need, the team conducted a small survey before designing an eco-friendly app called Family Farmers. The app contains a scanner that taps into existing plant and weather databases in order to identify the best potential garden locations based on available amount of space and local climate. The app also provides information about farming methods. It also shows how common household items can help reduce gardening costs.
Adding a Fun Factor to Urban Gardening
Family Farmers is designed to be the ultimate tool for aspiring gardeners, with an AI search engine that can be used to find suitable plants, an option to share progress and tips with a community of like-minded garden enthusiasts, and a calendar to remind users when to water and take care of their plants. The students also added an element of entertainment to their app, with plant-related games that provide fun facts about gardening.
Developing this innovative solution required hard work. The small but mighty team size (just three people) did not deter the committed students– in fact, it helped with the difficult task of coordinating online meetings across time zones.
Strengthening Relationships
“The size of the group does not matter. In fact, it might have even helped everyone strengthen our relationships,” says Team Lead Tianze.
“We were also able to help each other and make up for what we may not be good at. The teammates were willing to cooperate and overcome the time differences that we have,” says Tianze. “We were also able to help each other and make up for what we may not be good at. Helping to solve a real-world problem was a great experience.”
Team member Radwa enjoyed researching the issues surrounding gardening in an urban environment and collaborating with international students. “This was my first time in a program that involves meeting students from different nationalities and working together on new ideas,” he said. “This is a wonderful thing and I’m very glad to have gone through this experience, meeting new friends and learning many things in a field that I’m passionate about. I hope to do something that is related to it one day.”
The Junior Academy was supported by the Stevens Initiative, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government, and is administered by the Aspen Institute.
With more than 500 participants, the Urban Gardens Innovation Challenge was a great success.
Published March 10, 2023
By David Freeman Academy Contributor
With the participation of 547 students in 118 teams, the Urban Gardens Innovation Challenge organized in Rwanda by The New York Academy of Sciences in partnership with Association Mwana Ukundwa (AMU) has been a great success.
Sponsored by the Clifford Chance Cornerstone Initiative, the Spring 2022 competition tasked students aged 13-17 from Kigali, the country’s capital, to use micro-gardening techniques to broaden access to nutritious food sources.
Kigali is considered one of the most food-secure cities in Africa, but the ability to obtain nutritious food remains a concern for many poorer households. Malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies can result in stunted growth and put children and adults’ health at risk.
Eager to address food scarcity and poor nutrition, which affect their communities, the students took up the challenge with great enthusiasm and came up with a wide range of practical and creative solutions to help people living in crowded urban environments supplement their diet with home-grown vegetables.
Challenge participants dedicated many after-school hours to their projects, spending time researching urban gardening methods and suitable crops, brainstorming with their teammates and developing their projects.
Ten public schools and three charter schools, coordinated by AMU, supported the competition and gave students access to computer labs. Several Rwandan science teachers acted as mentors for participating teams.
After carefully reviewing submissions, the judges selected a winning project and five runner-up projects of distinction. Members of the winning team got a chance to showcase their project at the 2022 Global STEM Alliance Summit, organized by The New York Academy of Sciences.
Winning Team: Growing Vegetables
Team members: Tarah (Team Lead), Emerance, Solange, Emmanuel, Sandrine, Hirwa Mentors: Baseka Didier (in Kigali) and Gaurangkumar Sharma
The team came up with an innovative solution to address food scarcity. To enable low-income households living in cramped conditions to grow vegetables, the team hung recycled PVC pipes and old bottles and used them as planters. Because PVC pipes contain toxic chemicals, the team stressed that they need to be cleaned with ashes before use. After careful research, the team opted to grow produce like onions, garlic and green vegetables, which do not grow long roots and can fit into these containers. The students also developed a simple but effective irrigation system consisting of old jerrycans, a tap and small tubes.
“We did the project after class, so the challenge was going home late and tiredness,” says Team Lead Tarah. But developing this project that can improve the lives of their relatives and the community around them was also a powerful experience for the enterprising students. “I learned a lot from my teammates,” says Emmanuel. “This group is very important to me, it helped me to be happy and work together.”
Runner-up Team: Reducing Lack of Vitamin in Urban Settlements
After brainstorming on the best way to encourage urban dwellers to improve their vitamin intake by growing and consuming more fresh vegetables, members of this team considered three key factors: potential users in urban settlements tend to move frequently; they have little space to cultivate vegetables; and they are short of time. As a result, the team focused on creating a vertical, space-saving micro-garden on wheels. With recycled wooden planks, they fashioned a stair-like structure consisting of terraced planters, irrigated with tubing, which can be used to grow fresh vegetables.
Building their prototype required hard work but the team learned a lot in the course of working on this project and enjoyed the process. “In this project, I had a lot of fun and did hard work with the group, brainstorming and searching for a solution,” says Esperance.
Runner-up Team: Growing Vegetables
Team members: Fabrice (Team Lead), Nziza, Teddy, Ally, Djanati, Samuel
This team also focused on portability and created a vertical garden with wheels to cultivate a variety of crops. As planting containers, they used old jerrycans cut in half while wooden sticks provided legs. They then added wheels for easy transportation. Team members explored the nutritional qualities and health benefits of several types of vegetables and consulted experts, and opted to focus on carrots, cabbage, onions and green peppers.
“I thought our project would help the poor who do not have a large farm, as they cultivate small and fertile land,” says Ally. Team Lead Fabrice concurs and says he, too, has benefited from the project. “This project helped me in different ways: it got me thinking and work hard and helps my parents to have our own food garden with a great expense.”
The team conducted a survey in the community and discovered that many people lack knowledge and time to grow vegetables. Team members therefore focused on cultivating fast-growing plants such as lettuce, onions, cabbage that require minimal care. They found that by placing plants in a transparent jar filled with water that is changed every second day, roots would grow within two weeks. By encouraging their community to develop basic gardening skills, the team hope their initiative will have a positive impact on people’s daily lives.
“This project taught me that there are multiple ways to grow plants and that growing plants is actually really interesting if you give it time and attention,” says Ivanka. “It was an enlightening experience,” concurs her teammate Albina. “It has improved my communication ability. I would love to do it again.”
Runner-up Team: Growing Crops at Home by Using Discarded Materials
Team: Cedric (Team Lead), Esther, Jean-Marie, Christian, Kevin, Axelle Mentor: Rubarema Maurice (in Kigali)
Having identified the high cost of vegetables as a root cause of poor nutrition, the team focused on using widely available discarded materials such as plastic bottles, glass and sacks to build a tiny kitchen garden. Using old timber, they constructed a small frame that they lined with sack fabric and filled with soil and manure. They carefully selected the vegetables they planted after researching the amounts of water and manure required for each crop.
“As team leader, I helped my team to find the land where we built our kitchen garden,“ says Cedric. Says team member Arielle: “I helped my team with the irrigation of our crops. I learned why we have to irrigate our crops and put manure in soil for every crop.”
Runner-up Team: Using Different Local Tools to Increase Crop Production
Team: Elias (Team Lead), Samantha Kiara, Englide, Glory, Uwase Mentor: Rubarema Maurice (in Kigali)
To optimize the use of space, water and manure, and increase crop production, this team experimented with different seeds that they planted in a variety of recycled containers. For example, they drilled holes in the sides of plastic tubs to plant green onions. They also discovered that they could accelerate germination by poking small holes in nutrient-rich ripe bananas, planting seeds, then covering them up with soil.
“Working in this challenge helped me to think further and brainstorm. I also got new skills in making kitchen gardens, how to create innovation and transform useless tools into useful things,” says Team Lead Elias.
A broad positive impact
In September 2022, Academy and Clifford Chance staff visited Rwanda’s capital Kigali and discussed the Urban Gardens Innovation Challenge in a series of interviews with local stakeholders. They confirmed that the innovation challenge had left a lasting, positive impact at several levels:
Participating students supplemented their studies about nutrition and urban agriculture by deeply researching the subjects and were then able to apply their extended knowledge to improve soil quality and grow vegetables. In addition to improving their own family’s access to food, the students also gained self-confidence and developed a broad range of skills, including leadership, problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, computer skills, and design and technology.
Teachers and participating schools expressed great satisfaction with the challenge. The nineteen local science teachers who mentored and supported students during the competition reported that the challenge had improved their own self-confidence. They expressed pride in the students’ contribution to address malnutrition in Rwanda. The challenge brought a new approach to teaching STEM, making it more relevant and rooted in the students’ living experience.
Families and the greater community also benefited from the challenge. Students’ parents followed their children’s progress with great excitement and acknowledged that the Urban Gardens Innovation Challenge had improved food stability in their household. They shared their children’s achievements with neighbors and the wider community.
Policy makers also highlighted the potential for further positive effects, since the Urban Gardens Innovation Challenge reinforced a government policy that encouraged households to grow their own food.
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