Ninth-grader Anthony Hill is one of 30 national finalists in the 7th annual Broadcom MASTERS, one of the country’s most prestigious STEM middle school competitions.
Anthony competed at the district and regional science fair levels in the spring before moving on to the national competition. He will travel to Washington, D.C. with 29 other students to compete for a share of $100,000 in prize money and scholarships.
Anthony’s project is titled ‘No Pressure: The Effects of Martian-Like Atmospheric Pressure on Enzyme Catalyzed Reactions in Plants.’ He began the project during his 8th grade year at Churchill Jr. High.
His experiments were inspired by the film The Martian, wherein a marooned astronaut grows potatoes in a pressurized living space, and a rapid decompression kills all his plants. He wondered whether a pressurized grow area for plants would really be necessary.
“My favorite hobby is gardening because every part requires scientific though,” he said. Anthony hopes for a career in botany or plant pathology.