AEP recognizes Southeast Ohio’s young scientists

Three students from local schools recently received the AEP Foundation Environmental Science Award at this year’s District 12 Science Day at Ohio University. The winners include:

• Lilliana Neal, a seventh-grade student from Bishop Flaget School in Ross County, for her research on the effect supplements have on luminescent algae.
• Robert Whittington, a sophomore from Zane Trace High School in Ross County, for his investigation into mycelia’s effect on fertilizers.
• Xinrui Han, a senior from Athens High School in Athens County for her project, “Development and Application of Water Quality Detection Method Based on Smartphone Color Recognition.”

Each winner received a certificate and a $100 cash prize.

“The projects and student presenters are so inspiring. Their passion and interest in applied environmental science is refreshing and makes judging these presentations extra special,” said Jen Bowman, director of environmental programs at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. “Each of these students is very talented and has a promising future in science ahead of them.” 

District 12 Science Day encourages students to conduct their own science experiments, including developing a research hypothesis and a method for testing it, collecting and analyzing data, and reporting their findings. This year’s Science Day featured more than 110 students from eight counties in Southeast Ohio who competed in areas ranging from behavioral sciences and microbiology to physics, mathematics, and engineering.

Support for this competition is provided by The American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, DOE / PORTSfuture, the Ohio STEM Learning Network, and the Appalachian New Economy Partnership (ANEP).