An airplane flies over Coppell.
At the same time, an observant eighth grader lies in her bed at three in the morning, attentively listening to its reverberations. The rough vibrations of the aircraft spark imaginative ideas of innovation, specifically in noise energy emission.
This is CHS9 student Charvi Vohra’s first observation, beginning the launch of her science fair presentation that got her third place at the Dallas Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 14 at Fair Park.
After submitting an application, Vohra and her partner, freshman Hao Wei were nominated for the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge at the end of their eighth grade.
“I’m happy that I was able to score high, even in the first round,” Vohra said. “Even though it was only at school level, it was a surprise because I was going against seniors who had been doing this since middle school and I only had three years under my belt.”
Vohra’s parents, Nitin and Shruti Vohra, and Coppell ISD director of science Evan Witfield were major influences to her scientific exploration.
“My parents were like ‘You seem pretty innovative and you’re able to do this, so just go for it’ and I’m like ‘OK, you know what? Why not,” Vohra said. “And then the science head of our district would come talk to me after every award ceremony and motivate me saying that ‘we’re going to make these changes next year.’”
As a student, Vohra ventures into various activities, including playing flute in Coppell Band and becoming a state finalist in DECA. Despite her busy schedule, Vohra strategically allocated time to dedicate towards developing her presentation, driven by her hunger for science.
“Any time I would get tired of doing my school work, instead of taking a break to walk around, I’d start doing my science project on that break,” Vohra said. “It did not feel tiring. It feels like something that is genuine and that I wanted to take it forward.”
To the people around Vohra, it comes as no surprise that she was able to advance far in the competition.
“I’m not surprised that she’s in the top three of the top three finalists,” freshman Niya Aby said. “It definitely helps her grow as both a student and as a person pursuing science.”
CHS9 Gifted and Talented biology teacher Laronna Doggett notes not only the presence of Vohra in the classroom, but her genuine enthusiasm towards science. Doggett envisions a bright future for Vohra’s ventures.
“She has that desire, curiosity and ability to create good science,” Doggett said. “What she’s doing could potentially help us as humans and also help our planet and some of our environmental issues.”
Her advancement in the competition is a testament to her dedication and commitment to her craft. Beyond the project, Vohra hopes that her research will serve as a marker of change for the scientific technologies in the environment.
“I believe one of the main motivations for me to continue this project again this year was the fact that if I was able to make my project more successful, it could impact the world so much more by reducing the effects of noise pollution on the environment,” Vohra said. “I was happy that my project could possibly be the reason for that change in our world.”
Vohra does not know what she wants to pursue in the future, but she confirms one thing for sure: she wants to change the world by manifesting her innovative scientific ideas into reality.
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