During the Alltech REBELation the 2015 Alltech Young Scientist Awards were presented. Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives at Alltech, and Dr. Inge Russell, director of the AYS program, presented the awards.
Two university students received awards in the 10th annual Alltech Young Scientist (AYS) program, the largest global contest of its kind that rewards scientific genius and experimental application in agri-science. Students were challenged to submit research studies that demonstrate a keen awareness of science and its applications for improving the future of the world, specifically through agriculture.
Rafal Bialek, a student at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (pictured on right), Poland, won the undergraduate division.
Bialek said, “I am very glad and proud of getting this award. It means that my work is worth something.”
His topic was using photosynthesis to make solar cells. He developed a method for attaching proteins extracted from purple bacteria to titanium dioxide, a widely used compound (for example, as a white dye in paints). Constructed cells, he said, can be utilized to convert solar energy into a current and can be used as a biosensor to detect environmental threats, such as herbicides in water.
Xiaoqiu (Churchill) Wang, who attends Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, was the graduate winner.
“Worldwide recognition of my current research keeps me inspired,” said Wang, adding that his long-term goal is to be an independent scientist “who makes a seminal discovery that makes a world of difference.”
The goal of his AYS research was to solve what he called “the long-time ignored and mysterious role of high levels of fructose during pregnancy.”
A panel of agriculture industry leaders selected eight finalists from an initial field of nearly 9,000 registrants from 62 countries. The graduate winner received $10,000, and the undergraduate winner received $5,000. Alltech also recognized 46 regional and local award winners, who received up to $2,000 each.