Sarah Taylor of Ocean Township is pictured with her Certificate of Excellence at the annual Delaware Science Fair.
On April 5 Sarah Nicole Taylor of Ocean Township placed first place at the 75th Annual Delaware Science Fair.
Currently a senior at Monmouth County’s School of Marine Academy of Science Technology (MAST) in Sandy Hook Sarah was awarded the Certificate of Excellence, for presenting her cutting-edge research in the “Correlation Between Various Methods of Fertilizer and Development of Salicornia europaea”. In layman’s terms, she has done an extensive case study on the soil composition of high yielding salt water cropping.
She is the first MAST student to present her research project at the ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair) in Dallas, Texas later this month.
“In my project, I studied how a novel salt marsh plant reacts to a higher availability of nitrogen and phosphorus,” she said. “ By tracking the growth with the implementation of a nitrogen based commercial fertilizer, phosphorus based organic fertilizer, fish waste, and control, I was able to analyze how they would respond to these nutrients in a commercial setting as a source of sea produce as well how effective they would be in preventing nutrient pollution in coastal towns.”
This study can lead to new scientific discoveries on how to improve water quality, protect marshes from land runoff and, also, improve food sustainability, Sarah said.
In an interview Sarah reflected on receiving this award and encouraged youth to get involved in making a difference.
“It feels really special to be receiving this award,” she said. “ I’ve always loved marine science and the beauty of the ocean is something that sticks with you forever. I feel that with many pressing environmental issues facing our earth, we need more youth to get interested and realize that they can make a difference too. Creating viable solutions to our problems is more important now than ever”.
In recognition of Sarah’s “…outstanding effort, achievement, creative ability, and scientific thought for a science fair research project”, she received a Bronze Medal granting her an all-expenses paid trip to Dallas, Texas to present her research and compete for over $5 million in prizes at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, Texas this month. Once a year, the Society for Science brings over 1500 students from roughly 70 countries and territories to compete in the fair for tuition grants, scholarships, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes, including one $75,000 and two $50,000 college scholarships. Ms. Sarah Taylor will be representing Monmouth County, NJ and the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, as the first MAST student in history to attend this prestigious international fair.
“After graduation I plan on furthering my career in marine and coastal sciences at Rutgers University,” Sarah said. “ I plan on continuing to tackle the challenges that face the beautiful oceans that many coastal dwellers like myself love”.
