An unlikely source of innovation, algae is the solution to most of our natural problems. Not only does it thrive when digesting the hazardous chemicals in our wastewater system; algal lipids hold the power to fuel our future. Biofuel, a nontoxic substance, produces a fraction of the emissions of fossil fuel: If widely adopted, it could halt the buildup of poisonous gases in the atmosphere. In a two-year, multiphase research study, I conducted numerous experiments that ultimately produced a fully-functional, wholly-viable biofuel that can be processed in any standard diesel engine. Though my work resulted in only a small-scale product, it is the embodiment of the change necessary for our planet’s survival.

In the Twenty-First Century, fourteen species have gone extinct, 573,686 square kilometers of forest have been destroyed, and well over 1.5 million individuals developed acute respiratory issues because of poor air quality. With such a pandemic amassing from environmental degradation, every individual is responsible for preserving this planet and ensuring its longevity. As a global community, we face numerous complex issues from political corruption, to overpopulation and the aftermath of resource depletion, but none are as severe and far-reaching as what we face if our environment continues to degrade. Yet hope can be found, even in the scummiest of places, if one dares to experiment. The potential for this field is infinite.

With the connections and resources provided by these scientific endeavors, this - and numerous other research efforts - will be actualized and pursued to conserve the planet and promote a sustainable way of life. If our societal focus is directed to algae, we can power our world, clean it, and even heal it. And yet, if pond scum- an overlooked, seemingly unsavory species - holds such an abundant strength to heal our world, and a teenage scientist like myself has the ability to use it, one can only imagine the presently unfathomable advancements that could be thought up by the entirely new, technological species known simply as AI.

It has been proven time and again in laboratories across the nation that Artificial Intelligence is capable of not only creative thinking but also mental growth and learning. Without being specifically programmed, AI technology can solve problems far beyond the reaches of the human minds which created it. While myself and many other scientists are presently searching for clean fuel alternatives, the self-advancing intelligence can easily be set to the task of finding anything from a larger solution or a practical application of human-made products like algae biofuel. As a scientist myself, and a lover of the proven facts which science provides, it can be difficult to imagine yielding control of all new advancements to technology.

However, only just beginning to think, artificial intelligence is all but guaranteed to surpass what even science can predict in the next five years' time. If these two worlds are allowed to combine, to grow together as a unified intellect, our environment, this world with it, may just have a fighting chance at survival.