Science: Girls with Secret Labs!
It's not just Dexter with a secret lab at home!!!
Turns out, this whole time, there have been two girls who could kinda pass as Dee Dee with secret labs in their homes. Okay, maybe not secret. 16 year old Evie Sobczack has a laboratory in her garage where she's been tinkering with a device for extracting algae byproduct for alternative fuel. As if one chick with an at-home lab wasn't already cool enough, 17 year old Sara Volz has a lab in her room under her loft-bed! With it she's been developing a process for increasing the amount of output from algae grown for biofuel. Both are blondish, both are teens, both have their own laboratories at home, they live across the country from each other, and are legitimately innovating!
Introooducing... Eviiieeee Sobczack! Evie has developed a totally new chemical-free way to extract oils from algae and turn them into biofuel. OH, and it's 20% more betterer (*cough* efficient) than current known methods!! BOOM. The device she invented won first place at the Intel INTERNATIONAL (not just national) Science and Engineering Fair. She started the project in 8th grade (I was so stupid in 8th grade *facepalm*) designing her own bioreactor, cellulose blaster, and other equipment that she needed to make her award winning device.
Ladies and Gents, 16 yr old Evie Sobczack of Florida
via Inhabitat
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, 17yr old Sara Volz made a biofuel lab under her bed to work on a method for identifying which algae are most productive. She successfully invented a way to do this and thereby increase the productivity of the algae for biofuel by honing in on algae producing the most oils and eliminating the poor performers. Her innovation led her to win the $100,000 winning prize from the Intel Science Talent Search. Unlike Sara, the only dedication I had at 17 was to eating brownies, not sleeping with the same light cycles that the algae in my bedroom lab required. I tip my hat to her!
So cute with her sciency stuff!!
Sara Volz, 17yrs old, of Colorado
via CoExist
I'm very excited about algae as an energy resource now. Don't be surprised if I write a post all about it sometime; I was tempted to go on about it here and now!!! My better judgement is telling me to pace myself.
Needless to say, these girls are an inspiration and provide us with some hope for the future and for our dire green energy needs.
Bangorang!
Heather
The Incredible Dork
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