Hi, I am Vehd!
I am a 16 year-old Seattle resident, and student at the Eastside Preparatory School. For as long as I can remember, I have had a keen interest in environmental issues, specifically how science, technology, climate policy, restoration, and a change in consumption habits can reduce and mitigate human-caused depletion of natural resources.
I am currently seeking an internship, to learn and contribute to a group that is developing a science or technology solution related to the environment.
Since I was 9 years old, I have been doing research, experiments and projects to understand and find solutions. When I first got interested, I wanted to understand what causes air pollution. I tested air pollution caused by a variety of indoor activities using a PM 2.5 sensor. The following year, I had the idea to build a portable planting system that would reduce air pollution right at its emission source. To determine the feasibility of this idea, I tested the efficacy of different plans in absorbing carbon dioxide. In 2020, during the pandemic, I noticed that global air pollution levels plummeted, and the drop was visibly and analytically apparent. So, I conducted data analysis on the drop in air pollution across 5 major cities, correlated this drop to the slow down of activities that are a leading cause of air pollution. Next, I recommended changes in these common air pollution causing activities, and the tested the efficacy of implementing the recommendations through a human trial. Recently I learnt about the thousands of golf balls that end up in the ocean alongside coastal golf courses. As a potential solution to this, I developed a prototype robot to remove golf balls from the ocean. The robot consisted of a claw, propellers, a waterproofed control system, and a buoyancy system. This project achieved 1st place at the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair.