Former NASA Science Activation STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) Intern Named as a Finalist for the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022
Former NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) intern, 17-year-old Aseel Rawashdeh, recently received top honors in the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2022, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors. Rawashdeh will receive an $80,000 award for developing an inexpensive way to kill the larvae of mosquitos that spread viral illnesses. By incorporating an essential oil (such as cinnamon, garlic or orange) into baker’s yeast microcapsules, she made a cost-effective bait that kills the larvae of mosquitos that spread malaria. Equally important, in early tests, her larvicide’s encapsulated oils appear to be harmless to nearby algae and non-targeted insect larvae.
Originally named one of forty finalists, selected based on the originality and creativity of their scientific research, as well as their achievement and leadership both inside and outside of the classroom, we are excited to celebrate this 6th place finish by one of our 2021 NASA SEES Mosquito Mappers Team members, a team that was also supported by Subject Matter Expert mentors from the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC). Congratulations to Aseel for her monumental competition success!
“I am delighted to have a unique opportunity to dig deeper and learn more about mosquitoes, trends in larval habitats, and environmental satellite data. It’s giving me a chance to expand my knowledge about mosquitoes. Last year, I researched and developed a low-cost and environmentally sustainable mosquito larvicide for use in large-scale vector control.”
“I am incredibly grateful to now be a part of the Mosquito Habitat Mappers team in the STEM Enhancement in Earth Systems (SEES) program. Within just the first three weeks, I have learned so much about many innovative research projects using Artificial Intelligence, environmental satellite data, disease data, and more to accurately track and predict mosquito populations.”-Aseel Rawashdeh
Read about Aseel’s SEES research project: https://bit.ly/358yUlu
Regeneron Competition Finalists: https://www.societyforscience.org/blog/students-win-1-8-million-at-regeneron-science-talent-search-2022/
SEES Summer High School Intern Program: http://www.tsgc.utexas.edu/sees-internship/
[NASA Science Activation Award Numbers: NNX16AB89A (SEES) and NNX16AE28A (NESEC].
