Emily Ernst, a junior at Broadneck High School, won a full scholarship valued at $200,000 to attend Drexel University during the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) recently held in Atlanta.
Her project, The Power of Tides: The Relationship Between Tides and Enterococci, was one of four AACPS Regional Science and Engineering EXPO Grand Prize winners in March. The project studied the links between enterococci, a bacterium found in animal feces that is used as a measure of poor water quality, tides, and overall water health, in order to guide coastal managers in offering safe swimming guidance. Emily’s project can be viewed virtually on Regeneron ISEF’s website.
According to its website, each year millions of high school students around the globe develop original research projects and present their work at local science competitions with the hope of making it to ISEF, a program of the Society for Science & the Public. Only the best and brightest – nearly 2,000 winners of local, regional, state, and national competitions – are invited to participate in this week-long celebration of science, technology, engineering, and math. At the event, these young innovators share ideas, showcase cutting-edge research, and compete for $5 million in awards and scholarships.