What did you spend your free time doing when you were a teenager? Most of us can’t say we were dedicating ourselves to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, but that’s just what Ciara Judge, Émer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow – all 17 years old – set out to do when they entered the 2014 Google Science Fair with a cutting-edge approach to tackling global hunger through better agricultural productivity.
Their project, which won the grand prize among a field of 18 finalists, found that a naturally occurring strain of bacteria can prevent seeds from rotting in the soil before they have a chance to grow, a problem that is particularly prevalent in damp climates. In their experiment, seeds treated with the bacteria germinated about 50 percent faster, resulting in a 74 percent increase in cereal crop yields.
What did you spend your free time doing when you were a teenager? Most of us can’t say we were dedicating ourselves to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges, but that’s just what Ciara Judge, Émer Hickey and Sophie Healy-Thow – all 17 years old – set out to do when they entered the 2014 Google Science Fair with a cutting-edge approach to tackling global hunger through better agricultural productivity.
Their project, which won the grand prize among a field of 18 finalists, found that a naturally occurring strain of bacteria can prevent seeds from rotting in the soil before they have a chance to grow, a problem that is particularly prevalent in damp climates. In their experiment, seeds treated with the bacteria germinated about 50 percent faster, resulting in a 74 percent increase in cereal crop yields.
This month, Feed the Future interviewed Ciara, Émer and Sophie to learn more about why food security matters to them.
Click here to read the full article published on Feed The Future.