Small science fair idea gets big
As Oak Grove School's science fair approached late last winter, Gokul Krishnan began looking for something different.
Given his affinity for math, science and medicine and a family pedigree in neurological research, the seventh-grader knew immediately there was one idea he wanted to pursue.
"I was brainstorming ideas with my parents and they suggested growing different cells," recalled Krishnan, 13.
He couldn't have known the project would launch him into an elite group of what is considered the country's next generation of scientific leaders. Or that next month he'll be presenting the findings at the Smithsonian Institution to an audience that will include real scientists.
"I have goose bumps every time I say it -- 40 in the nation," said Lynn Pusateri, Krishnan's science teacher. "They start out with 75,000 projects. That's mind-boggling."
Krishnan decided he wanted to study neuroblastma, a cancer of the nervous system that strikes children in infancy. How, he wondered, would brain cells react in varying levels of acids and bases? What would be the best environment for them to grow?
He grew cells in solutions of varying acidities and alkalinities, and after a week took pictures of the cultures using a microscope fitted with a camera.
The resulting work made him one of 13 winners at Oak Grove. He then emerged among the elite among contestants at the regional competition in Arlington Heights. At the state science fair in Champaign, he was one of seven students selected from 1,200 to be judged as outstanding.
Then it got even better.
He was selected one of 400 semifinalists in the Discovery Channel's Young Scientist Challenge, a national contest offering more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes.
The field was narrowed last week, and Krishnan is now one of 40 finalists vying to be "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year." There is one other student from Illinois, Prem Thottumkara of Macomb Junior High School.
Finalists were selected from 75,000 students who entered statewide science fairs. Only 22 states had students advance to the finals.
The challenge was created in 1999 to boost achievement in science and math among middle school students.
Krishnan will present his project on the first day of the competition, which runs Oct. 21-24. During the last three days, finalists are divided into teams to face different challenges in an experimental setting.
The subject matter this year has a green theme with students investigating climate change, global warming and eco-friendly initiatives, such as green building design.
The goal of the competition is to let finalists showcase their success. Science represents about 60 percent of the score, and being able to explain the work to others about 40 percent.
Kids today aren't as interested or proficient in science as previous generations, says Steve Jacobs, chief judge, and the competition serves to advance the cause.
"Everything is chewed up and pre-digested and spit up for them. Kids don't anticipate anymore," he said.
"These kids show that things are not collapsing in science education."
Krishnan wants to be a cardiologist someday.
"That fascinates me -- how intricate the heart is," he said.