Daniella is a cellist and also enjoys competing in gymnastics. She is in student government and works on the school yearbook. Her science teacher is her mentor because "she is always there to guide and assist when problems arise." Daniella is interested in a career in law, noting, "I would enjoy accepting the challenge of helping others by using the rule of law, logic and even imagination to arrive at beneficial solutions—to bring justice to all people."
Living near endangered wetlands, Daniella and Chana learned that nearby abandoned factories were leeching toxic metals into the ground. They heard about phytoremediation—using plants to extract toxins from soil—and wanted to see how it worked.
Daniella and Chana grew wheat and other grasses in potting soil and in contaminated soil. They added various chelating agents, which help pull the metals out of the soil, and acetic acid, which enhances the effectiveness of chelating agents. They then tested all soil and plant tissue samples for heavy metals. Soy was the most effective phytoremediator, pulling nearly 100% of toxic metals from their soil samples.
