A Plano East Senior High School student will travel to Washington, D.C., in March to compete for up to $250,000 after being named among the top 40 finalists in the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science competition for high school students.
Ananya Nagendra earned her spot in the 85th Regeneron Science Talent Search with research that could help address a growing environmental challenge: reducing methane emissions from landfills. Her project, “Utilizing Ants To Mitigate MSW Landfill-Generated Methane Production Through Novel Aerobic Digester System for Anthropogenic Food Waste Decomposition,” explores using ants to break down food waste before it reaches landfills.
The Society for Science & the Public announced the finalists Jan. 21. Nagendra was selected from 300 top scholars and more than 2,600 total entrants representing 795 high schools across 48 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and 14 other countries. The competition drew its highest number of entrants since 1969…