Whiz Kid: Student Earns Award for Water Research

An alternative energy research project created by Mrigank Gupta, a junior at Parkway West High School, has earned him the 2011 High School Water Quality Research Award from Missouri American Water.

His project, "Living Bacteria into Electrical Energy," creates a microbial fuel cell using bacterian and sucrose in wastewater.

“The process releases a small amount of (carbon dioxide), and the wastewater used is cleaned by the process," he said. Mrigank received a $500 prize and a $100 grant to fund additional research on the topic. He said he plans to continue his work next school year. 

"It will be a bigger project with multiple prototypes in order to produce more energy,” he said. 

In mid-March, he was honored at the Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium for his project, which placed second in its category. The symposium is sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Mrigank was sponsored by Connie Allard, a teacher at Parkway West.

He said he chose this research topic because he's interested in creating renewable energy.

“I chose this research because a source of renewable energy is needed. Wind and solar energy are good but take up a lot of land,” Mrigank said.

Mrigank's physics teacher, Ellen Wilke, said his willingness to apply for as many program and competitions as he can find sets Mrigank apart.

“We have a lot of kids who do research outside of school, but not very many who will follow through to the extent that Mrigank has done," Wilke said. "His willingness to take his summer research to the next level and present his findings in many venues has opened up great opportunities for him, and rightly so.”

In addition to a $500 prize and grant, Gupta was able to attend the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which was held from April 27 to May 1 in San Diego. He will also represent Missouri in the Stockholm Junior Water Competition, which will be held in Chicago on June 23 and 24. The event brings together students from around the country who have developed water research projects. The competition winner will represent the United States in the international contest held in Stockholm.

Gupta is immersed in science and has taken advanced placement and honors classes in chemistry, biology, physics and anatomy. He feels these advanced classes will help him pursue a college major in pre-med at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “School takes up most of my time,” he said. “But I’ve been on the water polo and swim teams for a couple of years. I’m also in Beta Chi Pi and Mu Alpha Theta.” Beta Chi Pi and Mu Alpha Theta are science and math honor societies.

Mrigank is the son of Gopal and Smita Gupta of Chesterfield.