Student is Among
Top Young Scientists in the Nation

Talk about timely.

Since last year, Rohit Singh has been developing a process to make solar cells more efficient at turning the sun’s energy into electricity. With alternative energy sources such a key issue in the presidential race, it’s no surprise that Singh has been invited to Washington, D.C. to present his work to a national group of experts.

What is surprising is that Singh is not a government scientist, university researcher or private entrepreneur—he’s a high school freshman.

Singh is one of just thirty students nationwide to be named a finalist in the U.S. Middle School Science Competition, the premier science competition for middle school students. The competition is sponsored by the Society for Science and the Public (SSP), the same organization that runs the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and Intel Science Talent Search. The finalists were chosen from the more than 75,000 students who entered local science fairs during the 2007-08 school year. That list was whittled down to 300 semifinalists and then the 30 finalists, making Singh one “of the nation’s top young scientists” according to a news release from the organization.

Two other Alachua County students were also among the semifinalists in the competition—Kim Belanger-Giguere, an 8^th-grader at Howard Bishop Middle School, and Jeremy Liu, formerly a Lincoln Middle School student who is now attending Eastside High School.

Singh, who also attended Lincoln last year student and is now a 9^th-grader in Eastside’s International Baccalaureate program, is heading to the nation’s capital this week to present his project, ‘The Effect of Nano-Engineering on Photon Absorption in Photovoltaics or Solar Cells,’ to a panel of expert judges. He and the other finalists will be competing for a $20,000 grand prize.

“It’s phenomenal to be named a finalist,” said Lincoln Middle School science teacher Roberta Harbrucker, who taught Singh chemistry and physics and worked with him on his project when he attended the school last year. “But knowing Rohit, it’s not surprising. He’s got an amazing talent for science and problem solving, and he’s not afraid to take on challenges.”

The relevance of Singh’s research is fairly easy to recognize. Currently most solar cells are only able to convert about 15% to 20% of the light energy they absorb into usable electricity. Singh was able to increase that efficiency level by about 30%. That is particularly significant in light of the nation’s current energy situation.

“I wanted to battle the problem of fossil fuels, which are expensive and pollute the environment,” said Singh. “Solar energy is the answer. It’s free, plentiful and very ‘green.’”

“Anything that can be done to more effectively capture solar power is very, very important for this country,” said Harbrucker.

If the ‘why’ of Singh’s project is easy to understand, the ‘how’ is not, especially for the layman. After an explanation that includes words like ‘nanometers’ and ‘photon absorption,’ Singh sums up his project for the non-scientist.

“I wanted to create a rougher surface and reduce the amount of light that’s reflected off that surface so that the solar cell absorbs more sunlight,” he said.

Singh says he’s excited about the prospect of sharing the results of his work with a panel of experts on a national stage. But he also recognizes that he and other scientists must also be able to explain what they do with the public.

“Communication is a very important part of science,” he said. “You may have a great idea or an answer to a problem, but it’s of no use if no one else knows about it.”