Two Grade 12 students from Sarnia, Krish Modi and Annabelle Rayson, will represent Canada next month at the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.
The prestigious youth competition will be held from May 14 until May 19 in Dallas, Texas.
The Canadian team consists of eight high school students, who were selected by a panel of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) professionals.
“The quality of these projects and the calibre of these students is truly remarkable,” said Executive Director of Youth Science Canada Reni Barlow in a statement. “Team Canada will be competing against the best students from more than 80 countries.”
Modi's project is called "Pee Xylophone: A Novel Non-Invasive System to Measure Bladder Pressure." According to Modi's biography, his project began after his grandfather underwent a urodynamics test and Modi wanted to look into non-invasive alternatives.
Rayson's project is "Plankton Wars: An Innovative Analysis of Daphnia Genotype Biomanipulation for Algae Bloom Prevention," which has already earned her many awards.
The upcoming event will be Rayson's third time representing Canada on the international science fair circuit. In 2022, she won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
Annabelle Rayson bears the Canadian flag in Stockholm as she presents her project "Plankton Wars: An Innovative Analysis of Daphnia Genotype Biomanipulation for Algae Bloom Prevention." 2022 (Photo courtesy of Annabelle Rayson)
"I was actually the third Canadian to win the award and first Canadian female to win the award," she said. "It was incredible getting to meet people, getting to bear Canada's flag at the flag ceremony... being referred to as Canada for the entire week, and when I was called as the winner, I was 'the winner is Canada.'"
The accomplished student from St. Patrick's Catholic High School said all of her research was done in the basement of her home.
"Really what I hope to inspire is that anyone can do science from anywhere. You don't have to have the fanciest or most expensive equipment," Rayson said. "I also hope to inspire other girls who dream of their own lab [coat and] microscope, that we can make it on the world's largest stages."
As an inquisitive person from a very young age, Rayson said she looked up to her mom (a biology teacher) and her father (a commercial fisherman) and developed an appreciation for the Great Lakes and the surrounding environment.
"Naturally, I love learning about our environment, ecology, different creatures, why our lakes are the way they are, our weather patterns, and I like being able to look at things and put the pieces together but also gather information and research."
In the future, Rayson said she would like to expand upon her Plankton Wars project so that her method of treating and reducing harmful algae blooms can be used by others.
She plans to study either environmental sciences or integrated sciences at university but is currently unsure which school she'll attend.
