An active Admissions Ambassador and STEM Scholar, Barrera’s recent science fair project looks at being able to germinate seeds using simulated Mars soil. She won first place and a judges’ award (which included a cash prize) at the regional Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS), qualifying her for PJAS States in May at Penn State. Barrera also was involved in the design and building of the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) during the SeaPerch Challenge. During the day of the competition, Barrera impressed the judges with her ability to maneuver the ROV through the underwater hoop obstacle course in one of the shortest times of the day. With 15 minutes allotted for teams, Barrera completed the course in 2:03 minutes and her team received several awards, including the Women in Defense Liberty Chapter 2023 SeaPerch Challenge Award, given to a team for outstanding team innovation in the SeaPerch engineering design, build and demonstration of aquatic robotics. Barrera was one of 19 Upper School students selected to participate in Academy of Notre Dame’s 2023 International Sisters in STEM Symposium in July. More than 60 international students from Notre Dame’s sister school network will attend the Symposium, in whch students will engage in cross-cultural, problem-solving courses that address some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about your recent science fair project, which looks at being able to germinate seeds using simulated Mars soil. What was the most interesting thing you learned during this project?
Ava Barrera: The most interesting thing that I learned was that Mars soil, which is made of mostly Argon, does not have any nutrients in the soil; therefore, I had to add nutrients to the soil to get the seeds to grow. It was so exciting to see the seeds actually protrude through the soil and germinate. During my first trial, only three seeds grew; however, during my second trial, 45 seeds grew. I experimented with different materials for drainage and my months of research and hard work finally paid off. It was exhilarating!
Main Line Media News: Tell us a little about the SeaPerch Challenge.
Ava Barrera: The SeaPerch Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Navy, challenges teams to build an underwater robot that has to navigate through hoops and complete a mission course. We spent over a month building and wiring our robot for the competition.
Main Line Media News: What was your most interesting experience with the SeaPerch Challenge?
Ava Barrera: The most interesting experience that happened during the SeaPerch Challenge occurred when our ROV (remotely operated vehicle) suddenly stopped working. My team member, Toni, and I had to quickly diagnose the problem and then fix it so we could relaunch. The stress of being one of only two all-girls teams there was already intimidating, but when this happened, it definitely added to it. We remained calm and used our skills to fix the issue and take second place.
Main Line Media News: What do you think was the most important thing you learned through the Challenge?
Ava Barrera: The most important thing that I learned from this experience was persistence. We were presented with an unexpected problem and worked together using our prior knowledge and skills to navigate the situation successfully.
Main Line Media News: You were involved in the design and building of the SeaPerch ROV (remotely operated vehicle) as well as the wiring of the circuit board. What was the biggest challenge you faced during the design and building of the ROV, and how did you meet that challenge?
Ava Barrera: The biggest challenge during the design and building of the ROV was getting the valve to work. We spent hours trying different layouts for the wires, each one only working a little more than the last. I will never forget hearing the clicking sound and turning to Mrs. Gleeson, our teacher, and just screaming with excitement. Again, persistence came into play as it took us three days to just figure out which wire needed to be where, and then to hear that click, and the rocket shoot off, was such an empowering moment.
Main Line Media News: Can you tell us a little about the courses in Notre Dame’s 2023 International Sisters in STEM Symposium and the world’s problems that they will address?
Ava Barrera: There are four courses in total: Art of Math, Achieving Net Zero, Design a Wish, and Global Health Issues. Each of the participants gets to choose two from the list. The ones I have decided to focus on are Achieving Net Zero and Design a Wish. Achieving Net Zero will examine “producers” and “consumers” of greenhouse gases and will compare/contrast a variety of energy sources, both traditional and alternative, paying close attention to environmental and economic impact. I am interested in environmental science and I am excited to learn more about achieving net zero. In Design a Wish, we will learn to use the 3-D design app, SketchUp for Schools, on laptops by completing a series of projects that assists in fulfilling the wish of a child in the Make-A-Wish program. This course will feature exploration into the design process to understand the needs of a child in need in order to create designs that help fulfill their wish. I am passionate about helping others and feel this will be an extraordinary way to give back to children.
Main Line Media News: What is your favorite book, and why?
Ava Barrera: My favorite book is (and will always be) Looking for Alaska by John Green. It was the first book of his that I read and I instantly fell in love with the characters. It forced you to look beyond the words written on the page and really place yourself into the world of the story.
(To be selected as Main Line Student of the Week, a student must first be nominated by his or her school.)
To view a gallery of the previous Main Line Students of the Week click here
