Nitya Parthasarthy, of Irvine, CA, developed artificial intelligence software to detect and measure gender bias in social media.
How did you get inspired to analyze gender bias in social media?
Bias is something I have experienced throughout my life. While my male friends are called “driven” and “smart,” I am “pretty” and “caring.” A key moment for me was in 8th grade when I decided I wanted to be a doctor. Immediately, people bombarded me, stating that being a doctor would mean that I would have to give up having a family and kids. Hearing all the stories about the lack of women in technology made me revisit moments like those where I realized we have a societal issue. I wanted to know why, even from a young age, we are influenced to think this way. As someone who has always loved television and film, and has seen many of the biases in media, I immediately wondered what effect today’s large social networks play in our beliefs about gender.
What were your most surprising findings?
Sadly, I can’t say my finding that we use heavily stereotyped words to describe males and females is surprising. The surprise was the reaction of everyone who I have shared it with. In their shared shock and outrage, I find hope that perhaps we can move towards a less biased society.
Has the special attention you’ve given to word choice in your project affected the way you use and perceive gendered language in your daily life?
Definitely. I believe that so much of the bias that my project has shown comes from an innate societal problem that has been developed through decades of inequality. People often think that through my project, I am aiming to eliminate gender differences (e.g. it is wrong to call males “handsome” and females “pretty”), but in fact I think we should treasure each of our uniqueness. What I have learned is that we use words with primarily positive connotations for men and negative connotations for women. Since my project, I have made a conscious effort to celebrate the differences between males and females but be mindful of the weight and meaning behind each word.

Raley Schweinfurth, of Portland, OR, has focused her research on a mass bee death caused by an insecticide spray in Oregon in 2013. Over three years, she studied the impact of this spray on a bee population as well as the surrounding trees and soil. She placed tenth in the competition.
Have you ever tried beekeeping? If so, what did you think?
No, I haven’t tried beekeeping. However, I have held a honeycomb in my hand and have eaten it. It’s the rawest form of honey and apparently has many health benefits.
What’s your next project?
As I’ll be going to college, I’ll be away from the affected sites where I conducted my research. Thus, it will be difficult to continue monitoring them. However, I would like to continue working towards finding solutions to maintain, and possibly increase, bee populations.

Haniya ShareefHaniya Shareef, of Fort Pierce, FL, has studied ways to eradicate an invasive plant weed using natural plant-based methods.
Why are you interested in invasive species in particular?
My particular interest in invasive species has derived from the fact that I live in a rural area where agriculture is incredibly important. As a result, invasive species have caused a number of economic issues in my state and around the world. Thus, combating issues specific to the agricultural industry, I hope I will be able to develop a more environmentally sustainable and eco-friendly world.
In the past, you’ve organized creative workshops for kids living in shelters. Why is community outreach important to you? What kind of service do you hope to do in the future?
As a Muslim female and first-generation immigrant, I strongly believe that minority students in STEM need incredible role models to help them realize their full potential. As a result, community outreach and helping those with less opportunity is important to me. One day, I hope to be a role model for another young student like myself. I also aspire to become influential on social media and an advocate for minorities and females in the areas of STEM and the arts.

Isani Singh, of Greenwood Village, CO, studied Turner Syndrome, a genetic abnormality affecting people born with female chromosomes, with the second X chromosome missing. She placed third in the competition.
How did you get interested in rare medical conditions like TS?
I wanted to do something to help people with conditions that ordinarily go unnoticed in the medical field. I came across Turner Syndrome and found it fascinating that someone could be missing a chromosome in either all or some of their cells and, in some cases, live a relatively normal life. I did one project on the syndrome my sophomore year, and as a result I was invited to attend the National Turner Syndrome Conference. This is where it became clear to me that this was not something I wanted to give up. I met amazing women there who felt insecure with the state of their condition, and I knew that I was capable of helping them deal with their diagnosis.
Who is your mentor and how has having one shaped your path to this point?
My mentors are Dr. David Page, who is the director of the Whitehead Institute at MIT, and Dr. Adrianna San Roman, a postdoctoral associate in the Page Lab. I could not be more grateful for how supportive both have been of my research. There are many students who have passions (like mine for Turner Syndrome), but I think few are lucky enough to get the opportunity to find mentors who not only understand their passion, but also are willing to spend their own time helping their mentee. Dr. San Roman worked closely with me in the lab and helped me navigate some of the major struggles of working in a lab. My future plans of doing research and maybe one day directing my own lab are largely a result of my time this summer at the Whitehead, and my amazing experience wouldn’t have been possible without my mentors and their dedication towards inspiring young scientists. ♦