From left, Lia Pratt, Caitlin Stimpson, Lasya Muthyala, Valerie Finnerty, Asish Sahoo, Anika Gosukonda and Mia Tiernan recently presented their research at the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair in Worcester. (Photo Courtesy Littleton Public Schools)
LITTLETON — Littleton High School is proud to share that students from the STEM Research Program recently won top honors at both the Massachusetts and Region IV Science and Engineering Fairs.
On April 9, six members of the STEM Research Program joined 425 student researchers from across the state in presenting their projects at the 2026 Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair. After sharing their findings at the DCU Center in Worcester, all six participants were recognized with major awards or honorable mentions.
Juniors Lasya Muthyala and Caitlin Stimpson won a first place award and the AMS Microbiology Award for their project, “Evaluating Environmental Pollutants Using a Biodegradable Algae-Based Enzyme Biosensor,” which created a biological sensor that successfully detected several types of aquatic pollution.
Sophomore Anika Gosukonda won a second place award and the ISEF 2024 Cohort Spark Award for her engineering project, “Non-Invasive Iron Deficiency Detector to Improve Early Detection of Iron Deficiency Without Anemia Utilizing the Properties of Zinc Proportion Fluorescence.” Her research successfully developed a cost-effective, portable device to detect iron deficiency in a non-invasive manner.
Juniors Lia Pratt, Asish Sahoo and Mia Tiernan received an honorable mention for their project, “Evaluating the Impact of Sodium Benzoate on the Effectiveness of Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Norgestrel Using Brachionus Manjavacas.” Their research found that sodium benzoate, a common food preservative, decreases the effectiveness of an over-the-counter contraceptive.
Prior to the state competition, 15 Littleton students first participated in the Region IV Science and Engineering Fair on March 14. In addition to the students who competed at the state level, nine other students presented their work at Tufts University.
Freshman Ryan Stimpson received the New Scientist’s Innovation Award for his top-scoring freshman project, “The Effect of Natural Pesticides Versus Synthetic Pesticides on Nannochloropsis Algal Blooms.”
Freshmen Phoebe Austin and Claire Gerbig presented, “The Effects of Caffeine on Fruit Fly Life Spans,” freshman Sesha Chemuturi presented, “Effect of Copper Sulfate on Algae That Live in Different Environments,” freshman Shansitaa Sivashanmugan presented, “Effects of Temperature on Milkweed Seed Germination Rates,” sophomores Prithvi Amancha, Nityam Pandya and Kaushik Satishkumar presented, “Investigation of Efficiency of Plant and Fungi Bioremediation” and senior Siddarth Padamati presented, “Genomic Analysis of Genomic Data in Rheumatoid Arthritis Reveals Markers for Improving Future Diagnosis.”
“I want to congratulate all of the students who presented at the State and Region IV Science and Engineering Fairs,” said Superintendent Dr. Kelly Clenchy. “Their presentations were thorough, original and addressed relevant subjects. The STEM Research Program’s hard work resulted in successful presentations and many awards.”
“The STEM Research Program students spent months designing and researching their projects, and we were proud to see their presentations receive well-deserved recognition,” said Principal Dr. John Harrington. “The program is an opportunity for students to share their enthusiasm for science with others, and we are glad to see its members succeed and grow.”
Biology teacher Valerie Finnerty started Littleton’s STEM Research Program in 2021. Since its first year, the program has grown from two members to 35 students in grades 9-12 who are passionate about science. The program is supported by the district and donations from community members.
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Freshman Ryan Stimpson received the New Scientist’s Innovation Award for his top-scoring freshman project, “The Effect of Natural Pesticides Versus Synthetic Pesticides on Nannochloropsis Algal Blooms.” (Photo Courtesy Littleton Public Schools)
Juniors Lasya Muthyala, left, and Caitlin Stimpson won a first place award and the AMS Microbiology Award for their project, “Evaluating Environmental Pollutants Using a Biodegradable Algae-Based Enzyme Biosensor.” (Photo Courtesy Littleton Public Schools)
Sophomore Anika Gosukonda won a second place award and the ISEF 2024 Cohort Spark Award for her engineering project, which developed a cost-effective, portable device to detect iron deficiency in a non-invasive manner. (Photo Courtesy Littleton Public Schools)
From left, juniors Lia Pratt, Asish Sahoo and Mia Tiernan received an honorable mention for their project, “Evaluating the Impact of Sodium Benzoate on the Effectiveness of Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Norgestrel Using Brachionus Manjavacas.” (Photo Courtesy Littleton Public Schools)
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