Wesley Chapel teen wins international contest for student inventors

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - A Wesley Chapel teenager won an international contest for student inventors.

Daniel Park, 16, has studied bacteria for past science projects and recently discovered a way to use bacteria to make water cleaner and safer from pollutants.

The eleventh grader at King High School in Tampa used artificial intelligence technology and other complex modeling software to study proteins made by certain bacteria.

"It really did look like art to me. And I was like, I also don't know what the heck is happening here, but eventually I figured it out," Park said of the colorful protein models generated by the intricate software.

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The teenager discovered a way to quantify the effectiveness of certain bacteria and analyzed how it breaks down harmful chemicals in soil. These harmful chemicals, or pollutants, have the potential to affect drinking water.

"I think that is a common misconception with bacteria that people have. We often see all the diseases that they cause, and you sort of get scared of them," Park said. "But there are a lot of different bacteria that have very good applications for the environment, for medicine."

Park presented his findings at the RTX Invention Convention Americas at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Michigan last week. He won Best In Show and also took first place in the grade 9-11 category.

"I remember it really vividly," Park said. "My parents and I were screaming, jumping around in the room."

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The teenager is working with lawyers to get a patent. He believes this helpful bacteria could be sprayed on soil to help farmers and Bay Area residents have access to cleaner water.

"This just sort of motivated me to keep going and to keep trying new things and keep researching and experimenting into these fields that I'm interested in," Park said.

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