2009 High School Essay Contest Winners

2009 Press Release
2009 Photos

2009 Topic

The focus of the scientific community is rapidly shifting to clean and/or renewable energy sources, carbon sequestration, and mitigating global warming. Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts basic research that contributes to all of these. Students must use an aspect of BNL research related to one or more of these specific areas of focus and forecast how that emerging research/technology will translate into effectively implemented solutions. Aspects such as economies of scale, necessary or consequential changes to society/lifestyles, pragmatic implementation, and viability should be addressed.

Some example areas to explore related to Brookhaven National Laboratory research:

• Viable methods of carbon sequestration
• Plants that may help mitigate global warming, and what might limit their capacity to do so, for example plants with C3 versus C4 photosynthesis
• Biofuel development and efficacy
• Fuel cell technologies
• Superconducting materials
• Energy storage

Special thanks go to the judges who volunteered their time to read the essays that were submitted.