One inquisitive young mind is educating others about how some tiny particles could have a big world impact.
C’lee Kornegay, a sophomore at Thomas County Central High School, recently was selected to present her science fair research project during the Georgia Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS). Her project was one of few chosen for the event.
“This was an honor because my project was one of 50 from the whole state to present at this,” Kornegay said. “My experience was unique because I was able to share the information I learned from my project while learning about other research students my age conducted. The most challenging part of this experience was presenting because I was nervous.”
Kornegay was invited to attend Georgia JSHS after being approved during a preliminary judging process conducted by qualified scientists who reviewed applicants’ research papers and extended abstracts.
“Any student who completes a science project can apply to present,” TCCHS Science Department Chair Laura Kornegay said. “It's a great opportunity for students to present their work to an audience, and to answer questions from experts in the field. Students also get to see close up what kind of research their peers are doing across the state.”
Her project was on the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) on Chlorella algae.
“I wanted everyone to learn from this project why the effect of silver nanoparticles on algae is so important,” Kornegay said. “I selected this project because algae are a major provider of oxygen in the world, and silver nanoparticles are entering our waterways. Silver nanoparticles are tiny particles that have antibacterial properties. Through people washing their clothes with silver nanoparticles and people drinking silver nanoparticle solutions, these particles are entering our waterways. Because of algae’s importance as a major food source for animals and its promising ability to become our energy source, I decided to test how these silver nanoparticles affect algae.”
Kornegay’s experiment showed that her samples with silver nanoparticles grew at a higher rate than samples with none.
“Further research needs to be completed supporting this, but with this knowledge silver nanoparticles can be used as a way to grow algae rapidly and use it as an energy source,” she explained. “In the natural environment, this increase growth of algae may cause algae blooms to grow, which degrade water quality.”
Kornegay’s project, "The Effect of AgNP on Chlorella,” won overall first place in the senior division of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Region Science & Engineering Fair. It is advancing to the Georgia Science & Engineering Fair (GSEF), which will be held March 31-April 2 at the University of Georgia.
“This trip allowed for me to experience how real scientists form hypotheses, conduct experiments, and share their findings,” Kornegay said. “This has benefitted me and my science fair project.”