Vietnamese student wins national Battelle climate challenge in the United States with Seed Bomb project

Hanoi (VNA) – The Seed Bomb project by Ashley Nguyen, a Vietnamese-born student at Westminster High School in California, has won first prize in the national-level Battelle climate challenge in the United States. United.

Held for the first time in the United States, the Battelle Climate Challenge challenged high school students to study the effects of climate-related hazards in their communities and then develop a concrete strategy to reduce their impacts on the environment. This challenge was launched by Battelle, a non-profit research and development organization that works to strengthen STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and solutions in the fields of biology, chemistry, advanced materials, engineering and data science.

A durable and simple solution

As sea level rise is expected to erode two-thirds of California’s coastline over the next 100 years, Ashley Nguyen decided to develop a restoration method using seeds, sea mud, clay and silt to strengthen eelgrass and prevent soil erosion.

She used the resources and data of the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve to innovate a sustainable, simple and cost-effective solution to sea level rise. This led her to focus on protecting populations of eelgrass, which act as natural buffers for plants and sediments along the shoreline. By creating balls of eelgrass seeds and organic matter, then burying them along the subtidal zone, Ashley’s method would help restore eelgrass along the coast and protect beaches important to southern residents. from California.

“We are thrilled to recognize Ashley Nguyen for her innovative thinking and dedication to solving one of the world’s toughest challenges,” said Wes Hall, vice president of philanthropy and education at Battelle. “We are proud to support students like Ashley who are committed to leveraging STEM skills to better their local communities,” he said.

Ashley Nguyen and her model for restoring natural habitats threatened by climate change were invited to Columbus, Ohio, where she presented her project at a conference organized by Battelle at the University of Ohio. The Year 12 pupil at Westminster said the experience allowed him to receive feedback from the climate experts in attendance and to exchange ideas with other pupils.

Climate science research

“Advancing to the national level has given me the opportunity to shine a light on overlooked environmental issues in Southern California and has allowed me to proudly represent my Southeast Asian community on the environment. ”, said Ashley Nguyen. “I felt a sweet warmth inside me, hope still remains strong for our future generations and the future, and without a doubt, we can fight climate change,” she said.

With the first prize, Ashley Nguyen won a grant of 5,000 USD for her school. In addition, she will participate in a paid internship at Battelle in the summer of 2024 to continue her research in climate science.

Ashley has participated in numerous STEM competitions, including the Orange County Science and Engineering Fair and the Toshiba ExploraVision competition held in 2022, where her team presented a project for the restoration of honey bee colonies. honey to scientist Bill Nye in Washington DC.

A challenge dedicated to high school students

The Battelle Climate Challenge encourages and rewards high school students for their ideas to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change. To address this challenge, students conducted research on the past and future impacts of climate events in their respective communities and proposed actions to help build more resilient communities. Ashley Nguyen’s detailed proposal, along with those of the other challenge finalists and semi-finalists, is available at https://www.futureengineers.org/battelleclimatechallenge. -CVN/VNA