Milwaukee City Wire

An eighth-grade student from Golda Meir School in Milwaukee has been recognized as one of the Top 300 Junior Innovators in the United States for 2024. Adenike (Precious) Olowu was chosen from among 1,862 entrants in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, a national competition focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for middle school students.

Precious's project, "Lead Water Safety with Leah the Leatherback Turtle," earned her first place in the science category at the Badger State Science and Engineering Fair. This achievement qualified her for the national challenge. Her project involved creating a book made of removable paper water filters designed to educate children about water contamination and filtration using common household materials.

The inspiration for Precious's project came from concerns about children's health and lead contamination in drinking water. She developed a method to construct water filters from paper after several trials to achieve an effective design. Her work took place in her school's lab under Project Lead The Way, a hands-on STEM program.

Reflecting on her interest in STEM subjects, Precious said she enjoys science and math because they offer definitive answers through various approaches. She appreciates that Project Lead The Way allows students to select problems that interest them while providing opportunities such as field trips to meet professionals in their fields of interest.

Tina Gleason, Precious's teacher for Project Lead The Way, played a significant role in supporting her project development. "Thanks to her, I had the opportunity to try and challenge myself and work hard on this project," Precious expressed gratitude towards Gleason.

Looking ahead, Precious plans to continue her education at Golda Meir School through high school with aspirations of becoming a biological or environmental engineer. Despite having many doctors in her family, she also considers a future career in healthcare.

Martha Silva-Krieger from MPS’s Advanced Academics Programs commended Precious's achievement: “We are so proud of her and her Project Lead The Way teacher,” she stated. “This achievement deserves to be celebrated.”