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Middle School Section: Environmental Science Innovation —The “Double Carbon” Action of Young Scientists

September 27, 2021

Over the summer, “double carbon” became the star of research for young scientists. The first Shanghai Adolescent Carbon and Environmental Creative Project Competition started submissions in July, and over the course of more than two months, finished with the final review in recent days. In this competition, the research and works of Adeline, Elizabeth, and Maya were selected out of more than 1100 materials and proceeded to the final round, earning a second prize, a third prize, and a finalist for their school, SHSID.

From September 2020, China has set goals to achieve Peak Carbon Emissions by 2030 and reach Carbon Neutrality by 2060. In support of such goals and to promote environmental awareness and a low carbon life, the Shanghai Adolescent Scientific Promotion Association collaborated with multiple organizations, and through the topic of “There is only One Earth,” started this competition.

The Middle School Section of SHSID had been developing students and teachers in the field of environmental science many years before this competition, which could be seen through the creation of environmental science related courses and research projects. In addition to topics such as biodiversity, low carbon life, climate change, and environmental protection, students would use their extracurricular time to research related topics in top universities and laboratories.

As an excellent student and researcher, Adeline from grade 10 began her research in environmental sciences from 2019, under the direction and teachings of Ms. Li Shuhao, a similarly excellent teacher. Though Adeline has graduated from middle school and started her high school life, she continued her research with the guidance of Ms. Li for two and a half years. Her experiences are as follows:

“I started joining the school-sponsored research project in 7th grade, and by chance I chose to investigate the new types of algaecides. From how to mix solutions, collecting data, identifying trends in data, to using GraphPad to analyze and present data, I learned a lot of basic concepts of research in my first topic. I often stayed late to find sources for my essay and to polish my paper, and I went from nervously texting my mentor to confidently communicating with her. In 8th grade I started my second topic, and this time I found out that I have gained the ability to think scientifically and logically. In writing my paper, I would consciously think about how I should progress my ideas and reasoning, for example from the basic context to why our topic is significant and worth studying. I found out that researching on a topic is not just simply designing and conducting an experiment, rather it is a process to provide a practical solution to a real-life problem. Due to COVID policies, I was unable to go to the lab, and we had to collect our data in our homes. I had to be careful in handling the algae, and we had to repeat our experiment multiple times to ensure a controlled result. Over the two years, not only did I gain knowledge in areas related to algae, my scientific reasoning and logical though has improved greatly as well, and most importantly, I had passion in science.”

Conducting scientific research is a gradual process—from acquiring knowledge to actively thinking, one has to go through hardships to reach the end of the journey. Congratulations again to the students for their excellent work and results!

(Written by 10-7 Adeline, Li Shuhao Pictures by Li Shuhao, 10-7 Adeline, 11-1 Maya Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Brie Polette)