NDA Students Achieve Gold at International Genius Olympiad

Two of NDA’s Science Research students recently won gold medals at the International Genius Olympiad.  Ellen Kendall and Cassidy Ryan, juniors at Notre Dame Academy, participated in the International Genius Olympiad in Oswego, NY, from June 15 to 19.  Students from over 50 counties competed at the event.  Out of 502 science submissions, Ellen and Cassidy were among only 20 students achieving gold medal status.  Ellen’s project demonstrated the potential of sodium alginate beads to remove copper contamination from water and then use solar-powered electrolysis to reclaim copper from the beads.  Cassidy studied the effect of two pharmaceuticals that are now showing a measurable presence in waterways on the bioindicator organisms daphnia (water fleas) and planaria (flatworms).