By Khalida Sarwari
Lynbrook High School student Ruchi Pandya’s project to help cardiac arrest patients maintain their health won her $30,000 in the national Siemens Competition held in Washington, D.C, this month.
Her project aimed to find a better diagnostic tool that can detect the presence of increased concentrations of proteins in the bloodstream of patients. The Saratoga resident and Lynbrook senior returned home from her trip feeling pleased about the competition’s outcome.
“I’m really, really happy that I got the chance to present my research at the national level,” said
Ruchi, 17. “In terms of my presentation, I’m pretty happy with the way my presentation turned out. I got a lot of congratulations. The audience really enjoyed and appreciated my work as much as I did. It was great to see that.”
What’s more, Ruchi said the experience allowed her to meet and befriend other national finalists who shared a passion for research, technology and innovation.
“It was interesting to discuss projects with a wide range of backgrounds and applications with other high school students,” she said.
Ruchi was one of six high school finalists in the country after winning the regional Siemens Competition at the California Institute of Technology last month.
She was selected to participate in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology based on her project titled “Development of a Carbon Nanofiber Electrode Based Biosensor for Cardiac Health.” In this project, Ruchi worked to find a cost-effective, efficient and reliable diagnostic tool. The techniques currently being used for detecting the concentrations of proteins are determined through lengthy and costly procedures, whereas her research has the potential to bring the cardiac health diagnostic market to the home, providing quick and accurate protein detection mechanisms just as insulin monitors have transformed the diabetic assistance market, she said.
Ruchi said she looks forward to continuing research on her project at the lab in hopes of eventually prototyping the device. She is also working on college applications and enjoying her second semester. The money that she won in the competition will be going toward her college fund, she said.
The Siemens competition allows students to achieve national recognition for science research projects that they complete in high school, according to the organization. This year marked the
15th anniversary of the Siemens Competition. Out of a record 2,263 entrants, 97 were named regional finalists. Twenty regional winners went on to compete at the national level, representing six individual and six team research projects.
