S. Lesser nails first place at the GENIUS Olympiad

Oswego, NY – Four years ago, Stacia Lesser entered the Advanced STEM Research laboratory at Odessa High School with curiosity about the medical science field. She was interested in becoming a doctor and centered her research on health-related biology. Her sophomore year research, "Transgene Interleukin-37b Aiding Memory Consolidation Due to Sleep Disruption," had her working with Odessa teacher and advisor Jeffery Wehr and Dr. James Krueger of WSU-Spokane on the potential trail of reducing the production of certain cytokines which, in turn, improves memory consolidation for a variety of diseases such as Alzheimer's.

During chemistry in her junior year, she was intrigued by the physical sciences and switched gears in the ASR laboratory. Her junior/senior year research focused on nuclear chemistry and analyzing soil near her farm that had a distinct layer of Mount St. Helens ash. Working with Wehr and Dr. Donald Wall at WSU-Pullman, Lesser had utilized the Nuclear Radiation Center to determine a viable way for environmental scientists or farmers to help predict soil erosion based on the amount of cesium 137 present before and after nuclear fallout. The major sources of cesium 137 fallout occurred during USA/USSR weapons development, the Chernobyl accident in Russia and the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Using the Mount St. Helens ash layer as a time marker and the trace amounts of cesium 137 in the soil at varying depths above and below the ash, she developed a way to study changes in the climate due to drought, temperature and wind. Her final research project was entitled, "Mount St. Helens Ash Used as a Temporal Marker for Radioactive Cesium-137 Fallout." Wehr and Lesser are now in the process of submitting her research for publication.

Lesser has presented her research to many scientists and engineers across Washington state and has earned a multitude of awards, including a first-place award at the regional science fair, a first-place award at the state science fair, the Association for Women Geoscientists Outstanding Project Award, and the right to present at the 6th Annual International Genius Olympiad held in Oswego, New York.

Lesser and Wehr flew into Syracuse and traveled to the State University of New York at Oswego to present her current science research. Students from over 69 countries and 35 of our United States displayed their innovative science ideas. The GENIUS Olympiad promotes a global understanding of environmental issues and the achievement of sustainability. It was held June 12-17, 2016. With over 2,100 applicants, the list was narrowed down to nearly 750 presenters. Throughout the week, there were icebreaker activities for the students to get to know one another, with a final International Exchange Ceremony where all races and ethnicities from around the world exchanged gifts and wore ethnic clothing to introduce each other's cultures. When asked about the ethnic experience, Lesser responded, "Witnessing the cultural exchange between 69 different countries is a sight only available at an international event such as Genius Olympiad. It was an honor to be part of such an event and share our culture with people from countries that ranged from Kyrgyzstan to Switzerland to Hungary. Participating in recreational and academic activities with students from around the world was a unique experience. Having a roommate from Vietnam and playing ping pong with students from Paraguay was something I will never forget."

The students and mentors also took a trip to see Niagara Falls, spent a few hours at the Destiny Super-Mall in Syracuse and visited with eastern-seaboard colleges and universities about undergraduate and graduate schools.

After an exciting week of cultural and scientific exchange, Lesser was called up to the International GENIUS Olympiad stage to earn first place (Gold Medal) in the world, a Kindle Fire, and a $10,000 renewable scholarship to SUNY Oswego, an incredible finish to an incredible high school science career.

Lesser declined the Oswego scholarship having already won a full ride as a Distinguished Regents Scholar at WSU-Pullman in engineering, where she plans to continue working with Wall at the Nuclear Radiation Center. She also adds, "Being a part of the Advanced STEM Research Laboratory at OHS is a great opportunity to explore different science disciplines. Anyone with an interest in science should not be afraid to take on a research project and compete at local science and engineering fairs. Qualifying for an international event may seem like a daunting goal, but if you put in the class hours and keep polishing your project based on judges' comments, you may find yourself at an international fair."

To keep up-to-date on Odessa's advance science students, visit or follow ASR Labs on Twitter: @ohsASR or Facebook: Advanced-STEM-Research-Laboratory.