Outside is my favorite place to be. However, with the changing climate, natural disasters are becoming increasingly common and a lot of the elegance in nature is being disrupted. I see STEAM as a way of understanding and impacting the world around us, whether that be creatively or analytically. I am hoping to get the education that allows me to better comprehend and reverse our changing climate in order to leave behind a world that is as beautiful and magical for the next generations as it has been for me. I have had the joy of teaching kids of all ages about nature survival skills and nature awareness at Blue Turtle nature camp. I have been lucky enough to have been a junior counselor for two years, but prior to when I was helping teach kids at camp, I was one of the kids. I remember being mystified by how gorgeous and interesting nature is. I remember watching the delicate and elegant cycle of pollinators being fed by the plants that they then help plant. I wish for a world where humans can interact with one another like pollinators do with plants, helping one another out. However, this cannot happen without a world to support that future. I want the generations after mine to be able to look out onto this beautiful planet and be able to see the world that I find so inspirational. I would love to have the privilege of becoming an environmental engineer and getting the education that would allow me, a young woman, to succeed in a male dominated field. With this education I would help create a more sustainable future. Specifically, I would like to focus on carbon sequestration projects. I am currently doing research about the uses of various types of algae for carbon sequestration. Algae is an excellent resource for carbon sequestration because it is one of the fast growing plants on the planet. Despite this, there are not very many carbon sequestration projects using algae because they can be very pricey. However, various types of algae can be sold and eaten, which turn a profit and help support an individual's health. I would use my education to connect carbon sequestration with marketing. This would make carbon sequestration projects much more common, and take us closer to a sustainable Earth. Nature is a reason to create art. It is so intricate and elegant and can help curiosity thrive among everyone. STEAM, to me, is a balanced way of seeing. It lets us interpret nature as art and allows us to find mathematical patterns in flowers. It allows analytical thinking, creativity, and curiosity to all flourish together. As someone who is inspired by nature to preserve natural beauty, and someone who sees nature as a reason to create art, STEAM is very important to me. I love that I can look out my window and see a blooming, thriving ecosystem. I want to help preserve the beautiful world around me for the next generations.

Mother Earth is a beautiful place. Her tall waterfalls, lush flowers, and towering trees already help to inspire generations. However, with global temperature on the rise, the next generations are extremely likely to have to face much more massive natural disasters and devastation. I want to help prevent this threat by creating a sustainable way of life for humans. I am striving to become an environmental engineer. I am currently working on a research project about algae carbon sequestration farms to help support a clean Earth. The technology to create projects like this already exists. Plans for carbon sequestration projects already exist. Despite this, temperatures are still rising. Lots of carbon sequestration projects don’t turn any or much of a profit and are very expensive, so they can be difficult to sustain and create. By connecting carbon sequestering with an economic value, a positive impact can be made on both our climate and our economy. For example, algae is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. This means that it sequesters carbon quickly, so having algae carbon sequestration farms more widely used can help the changing climate. To connect this with an economic value, different types of algae can be sold and consumed by humans, turning a profit. Therefore, selling algae not only supports the economy by creating jobs, it also supports sustainability. However, I currently do not have the education to help create carbon sequestration projects, so I try to make positive impacts in other ways that are more tangible to me as a highschooler. I regularly volunteer at my local food bank with the Food Gatherers organization to help fight food insecurities in my community. Doing this has helped to show me that even with little interactions, people can connect with anyone and are always making an impact on someone else’s life. I also help teach at a nature camp in the summers. At camp I try to help facilitate a positive experience for the campers where they learn about the environment and nature survival skills while also having a fun time. By helping to teach kids to respect nature and how to use it to create, I hope that they are able to look at the world with wonder and are able to find joy in it. I care about climate change in particular since the Earth supports all of us. If global warming continues at the rate that it is, there will be more, larger, natural disasters that will only cause more poverty and devastation. Currently, I help fight food insecurities locally, but for the future, I would love to have the privilege of having the education that helps me fight climate change and make impacts globally.

Many people walk places. Whether it’s between classes on campus or downtown with friends, this carbon neutral activity can now generate clean energy with the invention of smart streets. Specifically, smart streets are sidewalks that use triangular panels to effectively transfer the energy from an individual’s steps to power many different things. The energy generated is entirely free of carbon and methane emissions. A single step on one of these panels causes an electromagnetic generator to depress anywhere from 5-10mm and rotate. This chain of interactions causes 2-4 joules of energy to be produced. This energy is currently used to power LED lights, wall irrigation, and can be used to power so much more. Having only a few moving parts ensures that loss of energy is minimized and efficiency is maintained. Not only are smart streets a stellar way to generate clean energy, they also help provide public awareness about clean energy. One of the unique things about smart streets is that, while they do require public participation, they don’t require people to change their habits. Most people already walk, even if it is just a little bit each day. Smart streets are able to turn this already daily occurrence into a way to generate clean energy. Walking on a unique surface creates curiosity for pedestrians. To help feed this curiosity, the company that designed these smart streets, Pavegen, has also designed an app to educate individuals involved with smart streets about the science of how their steps generate energy and the environmental impact of walking on smart streets. This allows public curiosity to easily lead to a better public education about clean energy and environmental sustainability. This general knowledge also generates a sense of community as people understand that their steps are literally providing some power for public areas. Furthermore, smart streets, which were designed in the UK, are beginning to appear all over the world, including the US, allowing for the entire Earth to take steps towards sustainability. I am so inspired by smart streets since it is my dream to support environmental sustainability and smart streets allow anyone to help make the world a better place for the next generation by simply walking. References Every step generates a powerful connection. Pavegen. (n.d.). https://www.pavegen.com/ What can pavegen power. What Can Pavegen Power. (n.d.). https://www.pavegen.com/what-can-pavegen-power

Many people walk places. Whether it’s between classes on campus or downtown with friends, this carbon neutral activity can now generate clean energy with the invention of smart streets. Specifically, smart streets are sidewalks that use triangular panels to effectively transfer the energy from an individual’s steps to power many different things. The energy generated is entirely free of carbon and methane emissions. A single step on one of these panels causes an electromagnetic generator to depress anywhere from 5-10mm and rotate. This chain of interactions causes 2-4 joules of energy to be produced. This energy is currently used to power LED lights, wall irrigation, and can be used to power so much more. Having only a few moving parts ensures that loss of energy is minimized and efficiency is maintained. Not only are smart streets a stellar way to generate clean energy, they also help provide public awareness about clean energy. One of the unique things about smart streets is that, while they do require public participation, they don’t require people to change their habits. Most people already walk, even if it is just a little bit each day. Smart streets are able to turn this already daily occurrence into a way to generate clean energy. Walking on a unique surface creates curiosity for pedestrians. To help feed this curiosity, the company that designed these smart streets, Pavegen, has also designed an app to educate individuals involved with smart streets about the science of how their steps generate energy and the environmental impact of walking on smart streets. This allows public curiosity to easily lead to a better public education about clean energy and environmental sustainability. This general knowledge also generates a sense of community as people understand that their steps are literally providing some power for public areas. Furthermore, smart streets, which were designed in the UK, are beginning to appear all over the world, including the US, allowing for the entire Earth to take steps towards sustainability. I am lucky enough to live in a beautiful Michigan town with a thriving downtown walking area and pleasant public transport. The invention of smart streets is especially important to me because they would be very effective where I live. I would love to one day walk down the street and be generating clean energy for my community. Furthermore, smart streets are important to me personally, because the environment is important to me. I have had opportunities to help the environment and my community in small ways. I had the privilege of working in the garden at my grade school, I was able to advocate for composting in my middle school, and I have encouraged friends and family to start composting and recycling. However, I would like to make a larger impact and I would be so grateful to get the education that would allow me to become an environmental engineer. I would be so proud to develop things just like smart streets that serve the environment, create curiosity, and promote public education. I would be honored to help make our world a cleaner place and a place where the next generation can grow up with clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. References Every step generates a powerful connection. Pavegen. (n.d.). https://www.pavegen.com/ What can pavegen power. What Can Pavegen Power. (n.d.). https://www.pavegen.com/what-can-pavegen-power