Kayleb Hernandez and Brian Guzman, freshmen from JVJ Stem Academy, embarked on a trip to Washington, D.C. on June 5, 2023, to take part in the National EnvironMentors Contest. The event, held in the Mentors lounge of the American Geophysical Union, featured 17 other teams from across the country. Their project centered around investigating the impact of mint on mosquito larvae. Initially, they encountered challenges in gathering data from adult mosquitos, but successfully adapted their approach and focused on testing with the larvae instead. Over the past two months, their diligent efforts enabled them to develop skills in learning, hypothesizing, experimenting, collecting data, analyzing information, and effectively communicating their findings through an engaging presentation. With the guidance of their mentors Mr. Solomon Victor, Mr. Vincent Caldarulo, and Mr. Nicholas Perretti, and the support of Future City Inc., Kayleb and Brian’s project received 3rd place accolades. This prestigious recognition from the Global Council for Science will serve as a source of motivation for the students as they continue their research next year, exploring the correlation between mint and adult mosquitos.
