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What have you been doing since YSC?
I will be attending Bucks County Community College as part of high school this semester. Regarding science fair, last year I continued researching the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light on yeast cells. My project was about the effect of lycopene on yeast cells' resistance to UV damage. I found that the antioxidant lycopene is so effective in protecting yeast cells from UV damage that survival rates are comparable to those for cells that have not been exposed to UV. This is potentially good news for a world in which the incidence of melanoma is skyrocketing. For this project, I won a perfect score at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) and a special award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This year for the science fair, I am exploring the safety problem of underinflated tires on cars manufactured before 2004. I am developing a sensor that will compare a tire's relative inflation to the other three tires on the car as it passes through an E-ZPassSM tollbooth. I am also continuing my classical guitar studies at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia.
When you're not studying, what do you like to do?
I like to skateboard. Just about every day after school, I go out and skate. I also like to play football with my friends. As far as jobs go, I cut lawns and babysit.
How did participating in YSC affect you?
Participating in YSC changed the way I think about working in teams. In the past, I would not pay much attention to other people's ideas. When I was in YSC, I learned how valuable the power of teamwork is and how much easier it is to get things accomplished as a group. One of the challenges we had was to look at different plants and try to guess where they had come from. Some of the plants had protective needles, so together we came up with the idea that they might have come from the desert. The needles were there to protect the plants from animals that were looking for water inside the plants. We were chosen as one of the teams with the best teamwork.
What are your career goals?
I want to be a mechanical engineer. I love cars and everything about them, and I think it would be neat to design the cars of the future.
What's your favorite memory of YSC?
Relaxing with other members of my team was great. If you throw a bunch of people about the same age and with the same interests together in a group, it's amazing how they quickly become friends. The memories of my teammates will always remain in my mind as the fondest.
How did you first become interested in science?
It's hard to say. I have been doing projects since I was a little boy. My first project was titled "Down the Drain" and was displayed at a noncompetitive fair when I was only 4. I took dirty water that goes down the kitchen drain and treated it by different methods (settling, filtration, etc.) in different order to see how clear I could make it. When I look at pictures of that project, the blackboard with my artwork is barely readable, but I had fun doing it. I also watched as my older brother, Ross, worked on his science projects, and I wanted to do projects of my own as well.
Who is your science hero and why?
Thomas Edison has been my hero for quite some time. He was sent home from school, but that didn't stop him from learning at home. He was deaf, but he still became a telegraph operator. He invented things that were very practical and have changed the way we live.
What advice would you offer to someone hoping to participate in YSC?
When my brother participated in YSC, it seemed like he had a really good time and that it was a good competition. Then, when I heard about the competition during my science fair, Ross encouraged me to go for it! That's what I would say to someone else looking to participate now: Take advantage of the opportunity—don't let it slip by.
Daniel competed in the 2002 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge (YSC). He earned a trip to Detroit for the International Auto Show, where he went on plant tours and learned how new cars are manufactured.
