Austin enjoys inventing and building things in his garage. He participates in Boy Scouts and likes to sing and act. He is also a National Junior Olympics medalist. Because Austin "thrives on the challenge to make scientific breakthroughs to crack the aging process," he would like to pursue a career in science. His science hero is Michael Faraday. Austin says, "If you love science, reading about Faraday is a must!"
Austin saw blue-green algae vitamin supplements at the store and noticed that they contained the essential vitamins and minerals needed for plant growth. He wanted to see if the abundant blue-green algae could supplant commercial growing solutions.
Austin germinated fast-growing, soft white spring wheat seeds and after three days placed the seedlings into short drinking straws. He pushed the seedlings down until the top of the plant was flush with the top of the straw, so that each initial height measurement would be zero. He placed groups of five seedlings into samples of blue-green algae and commercial hydroponics growing solutions. He found that plants grown with the blue-green algae Gloeocapsa were 20% taller and 32% heavier than plants grown with commercial solution.
