“Ava’s research work was hands-on using primary data generated by her experiments, measured by her devices, and interpreted by her in the context of the current literature in the field,” explained Dr. Macrae Maxfield. “She used results and anecdotal observations of her first year to guide the design and metrics for the second study.  The results of the second set of experiments seemed disappointing at first until Ava pointed out that every soil treatment was far better than the control if the treatment had been applied the year before. She demanded that the model and conclusion fit the data without ignoring any data. That is good science.”

Ava, who served Brooklyn Tech’s giant National Honor Society chapter as vice president and has been involved with Model UN throughout her Tech tenure, plans to pursue “a mix of law and STEM” at Georgetown University.