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June 22, 2007
AMNH Young Naturalist Award Winners Announced
PITTSBURGH -- June 22, 2007 -- To promote participation and communication in science, Alcoa Foundation has partnered with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) to provide a three-year funding grant to the annual Young Naturalists Award (YNA) competition. Students in grades 7-12 across the United States, plan, execute, and report on their scientific investigation on an environmental question of their choice.
The 2007 winning projects range from investigations of water pollution in lakes and rivers, lichen as indicators of traffic pollution, plant diversity by elevation level, toad habitats, the effect of roofing material on global warming, and bird species in India.
2007 Young Naturalist Award Winners
Jon Atkinson
Age 15, Grade 10, Ketchum, Idaho
Barn Owls on the Side of the Road
Finding dead barn owls along a stretch of highway compelled Jon to discover the cause. He collected and dissected owl pellets, leading to a hypothesis that the low-flying owls were hit by trailer trucks as they attempted to fly over the highway. Jon intends to continue studying the problem in hopes that additional data will provide a more conclusive answer.
Nikola Champlin
Age 16, Grade 11, North Yarmouth, Maine
Thigmomorphogenesis in Pisum Tendril Development
Nikola studied a pea plant’s ability to alter its growth form in response to an environmental condition. She discovered that this climbing species has different types of tendrils—“searcher” tendrils search for support while “support” tendrils cling tightly to the support—and, when subjected to an oscillating fan, the plants produce a greater ratio of searcher tendrils.
Alexandra Day
Age 14, Grade 8, Severna Park, Maryland
An Analysis of Water Quality on the Severn River Over Two Years
Concerned that sediment runoff into the Severn River would find its way to the Chesapeake Bay, Alexandra’s two-year study involved collecting water samples from two river sites to search for a connection between rainfall and turbidity. The inconclusive results led her to consider how she would change her methodology.
Ashley Hunt
Age 13, Grade 7, Longwood, Florida
Algae in the Wekiva River: Is it Helping or Hurting Water Quality?
Ashley collected algae samples and conducted a macroinvertebrate survey at three river sites to determine the health of each site. Her analysis showed that the healthiest sites had the least amount of algae.
Jeremy Koelmel
Age 17, Grade 11, Rego Park, New York
Lichens as Indicators of Vehicle Pollution
Vehicle pollution poses a problem for many large urban areas, such as New York City. To determine whether certain lichen species could be used as indicators of traffic contamination, Jeremy chose three sites—one each with low, medium, and heavy traffic—and then surveyed the lichens found in each zone. By analyzing his data, he concluded that common shield lichen is a good indicator of vehicle pollution.
Viola Li
Age 15, Grade 9, Herndon, Virginia
From the Desert to the Subalpine Forest
A family vacation to the Grand Canyon provided Viola with the opportunity to investigate plant diversity, species density, and vegetation coverage at different elevations. She hypothesized that the higher the elevation, the greater amount of flora would be present, and that at 7,000 feet would decline due to the harsh climate. Her data collection, spanning 1,749 to 10,371 feet in elevation, partially supported her hypothesis.
Noah McDonald
Age 13, Grade 7, Ostrander, Ohio
The Toads of Delaware County
To determine what type of habitat toads preferred, Noah conducted a site survey and chose four different park preserves in which to carry out his investigation. After analyzing his data, he determined which park provided the best toad habitat.
Alex Nagler
Age 15, Grade 10, West Windsor, New Jersey
An Investigation of Water Quality in Mercer County Lake
When Alex and his dog were chased out of Mercer County Lake by a local park ranger, Alex wondered if the lake was polluted and unsafe. To find out, he tested the lake’s water at four different sites over a period of five weeks. He concluded that the data did not support his hypothesis and that additional data was needed to determine if the lake was healthy.
Joanna Nishimura
Age 18, Grade 12, Fair Oaks, California
More Than Meets the Eye: Do Himasthla Sp. B Cercariae Use Chemo-Orientation?
Intrigued by parasitic flatworms, Joanna wondered how the parasites were able to find their specific hosts in each part of their lifecycle. Was it trial and error, or did they, as she hypothesized, respond to chemicals released by their hosts? Joanna collected data on the behavioral changes in the parasite when it was in the presence of its host, and her findings supported her hypothesis.
Arjun Potter
Age 17, Grade 11, New Haven, Connecticut
A Survey of the Birds of Indroda Nature Park in Gujarat, India
During a summer vacation to India, Arjun conducted a field survey of the avifauna in Indroda Nature Park. Each day, Arjun and his guide went to different habitats within the park to record the bird species they saw and heard. In all they counted 1,451 individual birds representing 78 species.
Anastasia Roda
Age 17, Grade 11, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Human Factor IV: The Impact of a Boiling Water Nuclear Reactor on the Plankton, Benthic, and Biofouling Communities in the Reactor’s Intake and Discharge Creeks
Anastasia has spent four years investigating the impact of a boiling water nuclear reactor on its intake and discharge creeks. After studying microbial communities and water quality in the creeks, Anastasia turned her attention to the plankton, benthic, and biofouling communities and compared her findings to those of a control creek. She concluded that the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station has reduced the number and diversity of plankton, benthic, and biofouling communities in the discharge creek.
Ryan Wham
Age 13, Grade 8, Woodland, Texas
Lighter, Brighter, and Cooler: An Analysis of the Effects of Roofing Albedo on Ambient Temperature
In an effort to reduce global warming, Ryan investigated whether high-albedo, or reflective, roofing material would lessen surrounding air temperature. He built four doghouses, some with high-albedo roofing and others with standard roofing to test his hypothesis, and measured the surface and interior temperatures over several months. His data indicated that high-albedo roofing results in lower surrounding temperatures.
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