Manav Gupta, a junior from Manhasset Secondary School, was recently selected as one of the top five winners in the Our Future is Science contest, sponsored by the Aspen Institute and Coda Societies. The contest, which connects STEAM and social justice, was open to high school students across the country, ages 14-24. Students were challenged to create a video sharing how science can be used as a tool to solve a problem in their community.
Gupta’s winning video submission which ran for about 1 minute and 30 seconds, spotlighted the Manhasset Bay and the excess nitrogen that is found in it. Excess nitrogen allows algae to grow within ecosystems, destroying the biodiversity. As a science research student, Gupta gravitates toward environmental research. He specifically chose this topic because he believed it was something very prevalent.
In his winning video, Gupta not only highlighted the excess nitrogen in the Manhasset Bay, but also shared how to solve the issue.
“We can extract this nitrogen from the Bay and purify it into something that is reusable,” he said.
Gupta’s video was judged by a panel of scientists and practitioners. They were impressed by his creativity, innovation, originality and thought as it pertained to a community problem and solution. As one of the top five winners, Gupta will receive a prize of $500 and his winning video will be featured on the Our Future is Science website later this spring.
