Tuesday, November 5, 2024
An 8th grader at Golda Meir School turned her concern over lead water pipes and keeping children safe into a winning science project. Now, she’s one of only 300 Junior Innovators in the United States for 2024.
Adenike (Precious) Olowu was one of 1,862 entrants and the only student from Wisconsin selected in the nationwide Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. The challenge is an annual science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition for middle school students. A panel of scientists, engineers, and educators from around the country selected the Top 300 Junior Innovators.
Precious qualified for the challenge after winning first place in the science category at the Badger State Science and Engineering Fair for her project, “Lead Water Safety with Leah the Leatherback Turtle” — or, as it’s called in the Thermo Fisher competition, “Development of a Literature-Based Methodology for Educating on Water Contamination and Filtration Using Common Household Materials.”
Precious was in 7th grade when she prepared her project, a book made of removeable, usable paper water filters she constructed that can be used to remove contaminants. The book’s text is printed on plastic overlays that cover each filter.
The text is intended to educate children about the dangers of contaminated water and the precautions needed to stay safe but written so as to not alarm them.
A young cousin inspired her to consider the topic of children’s health. “She just eats and bites a lot of things. What if she eats something that hurts her?” Precious said. Then, after hearing about the harmful effects of lead in drinking water on children, she decided to conduct more research on lead pipes.
Precious decided to construct a water filter from paper. The first designs proved too thick or too fragile; as is typical with experimentation, Precious found she had to “try, try again.” 
Eventually, she came up with an engineering process to make the paper as quickly as possible, designing a circular filter with a perforated slit in the center that could be turned into a secure cone shape.
Precious worked in her school’s lab for Project Lead The Way, the hands-on STEM program that is career focused. There, she could conduct her research and use a 3D printer for her project.
She began taking STEM classes in 6th and 7th grade and also is in STEM Club. The first time she joined the competition for the Badger State Science and Engineering Fair, in 6th grade, she took 3rd place. When she won 1st place in her second try, “I was really excited,” Precious said.
“I really like science and math. Those are my favorite subjects,” she said. They’re also subjects her parents encouraged her to take an interest in, she added.
What intrigues Precious about math is that “there’s only one answer, but there are other ways to get there,” she said.
The appeal to her of Project Lead The Way is that students can focus on the topics that interest them. “We get to choose what problem we want to solve,” she said. The class also organizes field trips for students, who get to meet the people whose jobs the students aspire to, Precious added. “It’s a really nice class.”
Precious is thankful to her Project Lead The Way teacher, Tina Gleason, who helped her shape and develop her STEM project. “Thanks to her, I had the opportunity to try and challenge myself and work hard on this project,” she said.
Precious plans to continue at Golda Meir School for high school. Someday, she’d like to be a biological or environmental engineer. Although, she said, since most of the adults in her family are doctors, the healthcare field interests her, as well.
“We are so proud of her and her Project Lead The Way teacher,” said Martha Silva-Krieger, instructional mentor coach with MPS’s Advanced Academics Programs. “This achievement deserves to be celebrated.”