Nikhita Baruah
Chattahoochee High SchoolClass of 2025ALPHARETTA, Georgia
About
Hi! My name is Nikhita Baruah, and I am currently a junior in high school. My projects focuses on biological engineering on trees. Basically, I researched on how to increase their photosynthetic ability so they could consume more carbon out of the atmosphere. I did this research because I wanted to learn new and advancing ways to help with the fight against climate change. In the future I hope to become an engineer, using my knowledge to help my community and those around me!Projects
- "Increasing the Efficiency of Photosynthesis in Photosynthetic Organisms" with mentor Sophie (Nov. 15, 2022)
Project Portfolio
Increasing the Efficiency of Photosynthesis in Photosynthetic Organisms
Started Apr. 16, 2022
Abstract or project description
With global warming on the rise, one of the popular ways to combat it is through using the power of photosynthesis. In this reaction, carbon, a greenhouse gas, gets consumed to create carbohydrates. As useful as this reaction seems, it has its drawbacks. Sometimes oxygen gets consumed instead of carbon, forming a toxic compound. To fix this, the toxic compound has to get recycled through a side process of photosynthesis known as photorespiration. To fuel this reaction, vast amounts of energy in the form of carbon and ATP is used to convert the toxic compound to a usable substance. The energy used during photorespiration reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis. However, with genetic engineering, scientists are discovering more and more pathways to reducing photorespiration. Some of the many tried and tested ways are through using agrobacteria as the method of gene insertion. The results from the experiments are promising, showing signs of increased growth and carbon consumption.