When I was in 9th grade, I conducted some research on optimizing the photosynthetic efficiency and photomorphogenic properties of plants in vertical farming systems, developing unique correlations between light wavelength, intensity, and plant growth and finding an optimal light intensity and wavelength for plants to grow under.

Vertical farming is a method of agriculture that is much more environmentally friendly and efficient that traditional farming, so I wanted to find out how to minimize the energy costs associated with it.

I submitted this project to my local science fair (Orange County Science and Engineering Fair), where I won and was selected to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for a week in Los Angeles. While there, I realized that this project could be used to genuinely help people that may be forced to damage the environment in order to source food, and that I should use what I had learned from that experience to actually spread this type of innovative technology to areas of the world that could be truly benefited by it.

So, I started the Green tech Research and Sustainability Program (GRASP), where we aim to find schools in regions of the world that could be benefited from green technology, and not only educate students there about green tech, but also give them some sort of technology that helps them, starting with vertical farms based on my ISEF research.

We have so far done this with both homemade and industrial grade vertical farms in two schools in Uttar Pradesh, India, and are plans to grow continue! We eventually hope to expand to other schools in India, and eventually other countries as well!