Speaker 1: Today, I'm interviewing Snigdha Mohanraj, a rising senior at Engineering and Science University Magnet School, top 30 national finalists in the Broadcom Masters.

Speaker 2: I actually started to get involved in science fair as early as kindergarten. And then in seventh grade, I actually started getting into my interest with water contamination and water quality, starting to pioneer my own contaminant removal systems.

Speaker 1: I read in your bio that you are doing research at Yale in maybe a couple of labs. Do you have any plans for the future, like 10, 20 years out? Like any ideas on a future career? And we're all exploring, so it's definitely OK if there's nothing super concrete yet.

Speaker 2: Yeah, so I was, I think, a pretty defined STEM person for a long time. I've been doing research for so many years, right? But recently, I've gotten a little bit more civically involved, and I've really liked the approach of integrating STEM and a science perspective into government. I think that's something that's lacking a lot right now, especially when we're dealing with some mass issues like climate change, for example, where there isn't really a science perspective that's making some influential change within the government, even though that science perspective is exactly what we need for substantial change. And so I've really liked kind of where research and science intersect with government politics. And so that's something I definitely kind of want to go into, seeing how I can mix the two things together. And hopefully, I don't really know exactly what I want to do, but I'm thinking of kind of some public service role where I'm doing exactly what I was talking about before, bringing a STEM perspective to government.

Speaker 1: That sounds great. And I'll give, I guess, a little bit of my own anecdote here. Yeah, I kind of was very STEM-focused throughout high school. And while I still am quite STEM-focused in college now, I actually found a great time in a neuroethics class last semester. And I started doing neuroethics research now in addition to my more basic science, neuroscience research. And I found that to be super fulfilling. So I'm sure that with your amazing accolades, I'm sure you'll get into top choices of colleges. And we'll definitely be able to pursue those sorts of interests there. Could you tell us a little bit more about your experience with the RISE program? I actually read a little bit about that. And for those viewers who don't know, Snigdha is one of the mentors or coaches for the sciencefair.io coaching calls program. And so this is a program that I recently created that brings together a ton of students who are really experienced with science fair and those sorts of STEM competitions from middle school and high school level. And so as a part of one of your accolades for coaching, I was looking at the RISE program. Could you speak a little bit more about that? Does it relate to your kind of civics work in any way? Or is that more on the STEM-focused?

Speaker 2: Yeah, so the RISE Global Challenge is a great initiative through the Schmidt Futures and Rhodes Trust. And it was a great experience. I went to their summit last summer, and it's actually happening right now as we're doing this interview for the next cohort of winners. It was a great experience. Met a ton of people. They choose 100 from the world and just meeting the other 99. It's very interdisciplinary. So there are people coming from a pretty strong civics background. Some people did more of a STEM-like science background kind of project. My project was also based on my research. So I worked on my idea using biochar for water contaminant removal. And with that research, I kind of talked about the social implications of it, how it can protect our communities, and kind of the social justice aspects of water contamination and water quality. And so kind of just talking about my research and its relevance to society, I made a bunch of videos, applied, did all of those steps. And it was a great experience. Somehow I made it to the top 100, and it got me out to England last year. But yeah, it's still like I've met some of my best friends there, made some great connections, people who are still helping me to this day. And RISE is great with college advising, opportunities, everything that you are probably looking for support with RISE Global Challenge. It has all of that.

Speaker 1: Great. Well, I think a lot of the viewers here just found out about another kind of competition or opportunity to apply to. I actually don't speak about RISE because I never did it on my channel, but I'm sure a lot of people will be kind of happy to discover that. But I think we've talked a lot about, you know, your experience and like science fairs and all of that, but we haven't yet spoken a little bit about the specific research that you did. So I was wondering if you could just give us a quick kind of like elevator pitch of one of your research projects.

Speaker 2: Yeah. So all of my research has been about removing water contaminants from our drinking water. So I've specifically targeted microplastics and oil predominantly in my projects, but I've also worked with pharmaceutical and pesticide removal. My research that went to ISEF and won first place at the Connecticut JSHS competition. So then when I went to nationals with it was using biochar specifically, using metal oxide nanoparticles in order to remove these contaminants from our water. And then one of my research projects that I'm kind of revisiting and building back on right now used iron oxide and bentonite to remove microplastics and oil from water. And that research recently actually got a patent in March and it was through an award given through the National Invention Convention. So I worked with a law firm for free and they were able to cover all of the expenses and like all the paperwork. And I'm kind of revisiting that project now and seeing how I can build on it. And perhaps that might be the research I focus on for the coming year.

Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, that's super impressive. I think I found out about the whole process of patenting maybe my junior year of high school. And I was really impressed by the students who were able to take it from kind of the start to the finish there. And that's really awesome. And I'm sure that a lot of these successes, whether it's with like patent and science fair stuff and research are going to carry over to college and beyond. But that being said, I think a lot of students here have been wondering how to kind of make a, you know, that winning level project that they can then take on to the science fairs and patent that work and make a genuine kind of contribution in their field of interest. So I was wondering if you have any tips for students here to take their science fair project that maybe just starts out as a fun project that they're doing on the side and kind of add a wow factor to it and make it have a genuine impact and potentially contribution to their field like you did in this case with filing and getting that patent.

Speaker 2: Yeah, the biggest piece of advice I have is that your actual research, like the science behind it is important. But past that is how you communicate and present your research. For my own experiences, like I said before, my school doesn't have a research program and the research I did was conducted independently. I didn't have a lot of equipment, especially since a lot of it was during the height of COVID. And so in all honesty, the research itself might not have been as good. The results that were collected might not have been as precise as some other people's projects. But there was an idea behind there that I had researched thoroughly based on literature reviews, based on my own preliminary research that I was able to conduct. And even if I wasn't using a lab spectrometer and using my own homemade spectrometer that definitely has its own faults, I was able to get some tangible results. And because of that, I had a project that I was passionate about. And the research itself might not have been in depth as some other people might have had if they had access to the equipment. And because of those limitations, it might have reduced the quality. However, it's something that had a lot of potential. And because I made sure that in any way I could, I would burst in the subject. I knew what I was talking about and I knew what the idea and the potential behind my project was. Anytime I presented, I gave as much, and it is a little cliche, but I was enthusiastic about it. I was passionate. I was trying to show as much as I could about my own interest in it and the potential that it has, maybe not focusing as much about the specifics. And so there are kind of two ways that you can go about making an award-winning project. One of them is to just have a very complex idea that is a novel application and really is just something that you've been able to analyze so precisely on your own. And then another side is that you have an idea that can do very well. You might not have had the access or the ability to carry it out, actually execute it as well, but it's something that you can present really well. And if you can communicate your projects, regardless of what level it might be at, if you can communicate it and you can present it to the right people, there are a lot of opportunities that will open up so that you can take it to the next level. So my project, when I did it in eighth grade about using the metal oxide, the iron oxide and bentonite, it was something that I had to do during COVID. I didn't have access to much equipment, very short time frame, all of those things that were limiting the research. But when I presented, I was enthusiastic about it. I made sure I was connected with the right people. And because of that, I was able to get the support to carry out my research even further and go through the whole patent application process. And now I have the ability to go back to it with a lot more expertise, a lot more knowledge to bring it to a higher level. So I think science communication and how you present is what really gives the wow factor. And I think a lot of people kind of forget about that side of research.

Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, I think I just like related to everything that you just said. But one thing in particular that I actually remember that in a past video I've done on this channel, I was interviewing another science fair winner named Shreya Bhatt. And she said a very similar thing about how in one of her projects, the methodology that she developed, that the novelty of that piece actually ended up kind of overshadowing any of the results. Like the actual process of getting there was so impressive to the judges. And I think in a similar way, like students who are making something at home, that process of going through that and like engineering something and maybe even building something new is sometimes like more impressive than just doing a full project where you have those resources and you're able to like do it in the lab and whatnot. So yeah, I can definitely like relate to that. And there's even like mirrors to past videos that I've actually had on this channel. So that's really cool. And just for a quick kind of shameless plug here, we do have like the sciencefair.io program, as I previously mentioned. So any viewers who are looking to kind of get this sort of one-on-one advice from a past science fair winner who has gone through this previously can check the links in the description and the comment box down below. But yeah, we're wrapping up here. I just have, I guess, a couple more questions. One question I have is, you know, if you were to put yourself in the shoes of a judge that you've encountered at, let's say like, you know, the national level of JSHS or ISEP or something like that, I'm wondering, you know, is there something that, you know, they see that makes it turn from like a great science fair project compared to a good one? This is, I think, a question that a lot of students have mentioned is like, when judges go up to a project, is there something that they can tell or see that, you know, this is something they want to shortlist and move up to the top of their kind of rankings?

Speaker 2: Yeah, I think especially for a middle school, high school level, like you're not going to solve every single issue in the world. And a lot of these projects rarely are carried out past the year. Like it's something that you're investigating for a year and that's what happens. And so what a lot of judges, I think, are looking for is to also consider the circumstances and the scenario of where you're doing your research, how you're doing it. There are a lot of barriers that I'm sure the judges are all aware some students have. Obviously, not every student is put into a lab given the guidance from a mentor about exactly what to do and then has some groundbreaking idea that is literally going to change the world. That's not the case for every single student. And the judges are obviously, they know that they know that not every single student is solving every uncurable disease. And so I'd say definitely there is always a barrier. There's always a challenge that every student is facing. And I think there is beauty. There is a lot of value that the judges can see when you talk about those challenges, when you talk about what you've actually encountered as an obstacle and how you went around that. Like I talked about before with science communication and presentation, your research is definitely important. But past that, to actually add that wow factor, you need to have more than just your research. You need to show that from the actual journey to getting your research, there was a lot that you were able to overcome. There was a lot that you were committed to and basically the other aspects of that research. And like you said about a past person that you interviewed, maybe that's in the methodology. They want to know how you overcame those limitations and developed your own methodology. They want to know about how maybe you didn't have access to something. So you took the time to go learn how to make something on your own. And then you did that. Or you didn't have access to the funding at your own school. So you took the time to make a whole presentation and pitch your idea to any professional that you knew. So there are a lot of different scenarios that every student's coming from. And the story behind your research, I think, is just as important as your research itself. And so I think that's something that a lot of judges are looking for. And again, a lot of students don't realize that judges are looking for that. Some students might just be like, I need to show that my research is perfect in every single way. Like I have all my error bars. I made sure that everything worked out perfectly. But no research, no piece of research is completely perfect. There's always something that had to be changed, some kind of limitation. And there's going to be some failures in between. And the judges want to see that. They want to know how you overcame it.

Speaker 1: Great. Thank you so much for this crazy advice. I think everyone is going to benefit so much from these pieces that you just mentioned. I just have to finally kind of, I want to discuss maybe what some of your involvements outside of like science research are. Because while I'm forcing you to speak very extensively about science fair and all the research projects you've done, I think a lot of people here are doing all sorts of different clubs and extracurriculars in high school. And they definitely want to hear about your story and some of the other things that you're involved with as well.

Speaker 2: Yeah, so one of my biggest passions right now actually stems from research, but on a more civic side, more social side. So my experience with research and especially coming from Connecticut, where I think there's a huge wealth gap and we have some of the most funded schools in the country, some of the top private schools. And then we also have some school district systems that are severely underfunded and the students don't even have access to kind of any funding, any opportunities. And there's a teacher shortage all the time. And there's a big disparity. There's a big difference between all of these schools, especially in Connecticut. But it's a nationwide, it's a global issue about kind of this educational gap and the difference in access to quality education. And so that's something I've been particularly passionate about, especially when I've been working in research, seeing the resources, the opportunities that some students have and the lack thereof for other students or simply even just the lack of knowledge that some opportunities are out there. And so I've been kind of working on both within my own community, but even with a national organization, a nonprofit to kind of bridge that gap. So kind of compiling our resources, producing our own, but also compiling existing resources to help students get involved from a young age, even if they might not have access to these opportunities within their own local communities. And especially, I think my most meaningful work has been within the New Haven community itself. So mentoring a lot of young students, whether it's even elementary school up to high school in their own research projects, teaching them about how they can conduct research, even if they don't have external funding or any resources that they think that they need, kind of how they can overcome that and just mentoring them in research from a young age. And I think it really does make a difference. And I found that work to be very fulfilling. So it's kind of research related, but not on the STEM side.

Speaker 1: That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for being on the channel here. I think I really enjoyed this interview and everyone else will greatly enjoy and benefit from the wise words you had. So thank you so much for being on the show. And yeah, we hope to maybe invite you in a year and see what you're up to.

Speaker 2: Thank you for having me.