Diverse Sustainability and Water Research Reflected in Conference Posters
The poster exhibition at this year’s Maine Sustainability & Water Conference reflected the conference’s broadening agenda on urgent issues affecting New England and beyond. Diverse research on citizen science, fisheries, energy conservation and other sustainability topics grabbed the interest of attendees, who had a midday opportunity to peruse the poster gallery.
The poster session offered students from the high school to graduate level an opportunity to present innovative research and early conclusions. Awards were given to poster presenters on three levels.
Andrew Moreira, a senior at Old Town High School and winner of the high school competition, said the conference gave him a chance to present research in a somewhat rarified environment, at least for a high school kid. The result, he says, is a win-win across the board: for young researchers, for academia and for the fast-moving field of sustainability science.
“Participating in scientific research allows high school students to build upon their curiosity or discover a new passion,” Moreira said. “I believe we need fresh scientific perspectives. And getting high school students involved in scientific research now is key to improving the world of today and the world of tomorrow.”
Moreira’s research looked at finding an industrially viable way to convert organic acids into fuel. Experimenting with the creation of organic salts through the reactions of divalent bases and organic acids: “From the data we collected we can conclude that the process of creating oil from organic acid is possible,” he said. See more