Area student places fourth at international science competition

It was a simple question: Do certain spices have antimicrobial properties?

The question might have been a simple one, but it was asked by the right person: Jade Samanta, a senior at Saxony Lutheran High School near Jackson, who took a personal curiosity about something his mother had told him since childhood and applied it to a serious worldwide problem: food-borne pathogens.

And his project, entered into the regional science fair held at Southeast Missouri State University in March, recently placed fourth in his category at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh.

Samanta tested four varieties of essential oil against two food-borne pathogens to see whether the oils would inhibit bacterial growth or kill existing bacteria.

These household spices � thyme, cloves, cinnamon and turmeric � were common in dishes his mother, who is of Indian descent, often prepared, Samanta said, and she�d said they were good for the immune system.

Saxony Lutheran senior Jade Samanta stands with his science fair project on the effects of antimicrobial culinary spices on escherichia coli and clostridium butyricum, which placed fourth at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh.Submitted photo

�I decided to see if she was right. As it turns out, she was,� Samanta said.

Samanta found conclusive results, he said, and enough promise in the project to hope to expand it when he�ll have access to university professors, lab technicians and better research.

�This is just a starting block,� Samanta said.

He didn�t anticipate being invited to the international competition, after entering the regional science fair in March.

Samanta, who plans to attend medical school, said this project is reflective of research at the forefront of medicine � so-called archaic treatments for solutions to the growing problem of bacterial resistance.

Dexter senior Dylan Long stands with his science fair project on biodegradable plastics while participating in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh.Submitted photo

And millions of people worldwide are affected by these pathogens every year, he added, with more than 400,000 who die.

Solutions are needed, he said.

At the international competition, Samanta competed against 1,700 students from more than 80 countries, all of them the best of the best from their own regional competitions.

�It was intimidating at first,� Samanta said, �but once I got to know people and make connections, I saw children changing the world through medicine, engineering, technology, and I�m one of them.�

It was incredible, he said.

His teacher, Brenda Etzold, said while Samanta�s research was thorough and his methods performed exactingly, his communication skills really put him over the edge in the competitions.

Etzold helped with the research and with getting supplies for Samanta, she said, but he was really driving the project.

�He is impressive,� she said.

The science fair challenges students to ask a question with real-world applications, she said, and Samanta asked an important one: Could people make their food and water safer with ingredients they already had?

The answer is, this has potential, she said.

Etzold said she had no idea how much she would enjoy the international competition, where she met students and teachers from Russia, Austria, Brazil and other countries, and saw impressive scientific work.

Samanta was joined at the international competition by another high-school student who participated in the regional fair, Dylan Long, a Dexter High School senior.

Long�s project tested the applicability of plastic made from banana peels, he said.

Since the scope of that question is too large to test completely within the bounds of a science fair project, Long said, he focused on figuring out whether the biodegradable plastic would be practical for use in plastic utensils.

How would it respond to human saliva, to other liquids?

�I wanted to test every aspect of what might happen when we use it,� Long said, adding he wanted to make sure it was usable without causing damage to users or to the plastic.

�It was strenuous, for sure, but there was a lot of excitement that came with everything,� Long said.

Tiska Rodgers, who taught chemistry and physics at Dexter for five years, said the science fair is important for the networking participants can engage in, as well as learning from each other.

�It�s a great opportunity, especially later, in their professional careers,� Rodgers said.

Samanta and Long will both have the opportunity to submit their projects� papers for national publication, said Dr. Chelsea Grigery, a physician at SoutheastHEALTH in Cape Girardeau.

Grigery, a Sikeston, Missouri, native, said she credits the regional science fair with opening doors and giving opportunities to her in the medical field.

Grigery said when she participated as a high-school student, she also placed at the international competition.

�I think it�s very important for our students and the community to have opportunities for science and technology,� Grigery said, �and the science fair is the No. 1 way to do that.�

Excellent performance in regional science fairs is regarded seriously by universities, not only from an admission standpoint, but from a scholarship and opportunity standpoint, she said.

Grigery said she hopes more teachers will find a way to work science fair projects into their curriculum, even though it does take a commitment.

�It affords students the opportunity to work on long-term projects, a skill needed for college,� she said, �and it teaches them how to speak publicly, how to market themselves and the information they�re providing.�

The more opportunities afforded to students interested in science, the more students will pursue careers in science and technology, Grigery said.

That, she said, will only help the area grow.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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