Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Rayson has been participating in science fairs since the fourth grade, including three at the national level.
But for the first time ever, she will stretch her scientific talents to international levels when she heads to the Netherlands in September to represent Canada at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.
“I’m a very curious person who loves to learn, ask questions and find solutions to things,” said Rayson. “I’m also very passionate about the environment, social justice and sustainability and trying to find a way to combine all of those passions.”
Last week, the teen from St. Patrick’s Catholic High School in Sarnia, Ont., won multiple awards at the 2022 Canada-Wide Science fair, such as best project award discovery.
Her project, titled Plankton Wars: An Innovative Analysis of Daphnia Genotype Biomanipulation for Algae Bloom Prevention, aims to explore sustainable options by using zooplankton for treating and preventing harmful algae blooms in protecting freshwater ecosystems.
According to Rayson, algae blooms are large groups of algae that grow in freshwater as well as saltwater environments and release toxins and block out sunlight. As the algae decomposes, it also absorbs excessive amounts of oxygen causing hypoxia — a state in which sufficient amounts of oxygen are not available in the water body.
“They impact water quality, ecosystem diversity, cause dead zones and cost the fishing and tourism industry millions of dollars,” Rayson explained in her project overview.
“My father’s a commercial fisherman and my mom is a biology teacher, so my interest in freshwater environments and limnology kind of stems a lot from there,” she said.
Rayson spent the last two years researching her project.
“Before I do any science fair project, I spend a minimum of four months just researching and reading scientific papers, trying to learn as much as I can,” she explained. “Then for the experiment part, if we look at my projects and research specific to this year, each test would last for a two-week period over several months, several hours a day.”
Diane Yurkewich, the science department head and student success teacher at St. Patrick’s Catholic High School, said it’s inspiring to see students like Rayson show excessive amounts of motivation in their passions, especially after the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m working with a lot of kids at school who have just struggled so much through COVID, losing their engagement in school and trying to get them back on board. But then we have Annabelle who’s at the same time going in national science fairs and setting an amazing example,” said Yurkewich. “It’s just incredible.”
As a result of Rayson’s scientific enthusiasm, she sits on the Ontario Youth Environment Council as well as the youth advisory board for MP Marilyn Gladu of Sarnia-Lambton. As she heads for the Netherlands this September, she will also begin her term as a student trustee on the St. Clair Catholic District school board.
Aside from her interest in the science world, Rayson is involved in her school’s concert band, playing four different instruments including alto saxophone, viola, violin and the ukulele. She is also part of curling team, math club, social justice club and debate team.
Stretching out into the community, she is a volunteer youth curling coach and sits as the chair of the Sarnia Shoebox Project — a non-profit charity that provides holiday gifts to women impacted by homelessness and domestic abuse. According to Rayson, the charity has raised more than $60,000 for their cause.
But through it all, Rayson said her love for science has shown her an unimaginably supportive community.
“I’ve met a lot of my best friends through science fairs,” said Rayson. “You meet incredible mentors and just the best people. It’s such a great learning opportunity.”
Now gearing up to fly overseas, Rayson said she still can’t process where she’s going in the coming months.
“I love to adventure and explore, and I’ve actually never been to Europe before,” said Rayson. “I’m very excited to travel, meet as many people as possible from different backgrounds from all around the world, and, of course, I can’t wait for all the learning experiences that will come along with it.”