The Gatton Academy's News Archive

Four Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science students presented their research at the Louisville Regional Science and Engineering Fair Saturday, March 1. This year marks the third consecutive year that The Gatton Academy will be represented at the world-renowned Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) to be held May 10-16 in Columbus, Ohio. Two Gatton students were among the five GE Best of Fair winners to earn automatic entry to the prestigious competition, seniors Asa Ashley (also of Bowling Green High School) and Varshith Kotagiri (also of Western Hills High School).

“Our students work incredibly hard each year under the invaluable mentorship of faculty members across WKU’s campus,” said Sam Earls, Assistant Director for Academic Services. “It’s always exciting to see their hard work pay off as our students continue to grow and challenge themselves by taking on these kinds of rigorous opportunities.”

Gatton Academy students were recognized with additional awards for their research projects.

In addition to Best of Fair, Gatton senior Asa Ashley received 1^st place in the Sustainable Materials and Design category; the Maryam’s Charity, Inc. Green or Environmentally Friendly Award; and Ricoh USA, Inc.’s Sustainable Development Award for his research, “Derived Magnetite Nanosheets on Nickel Foam as a Highly Active Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution.” Ashley is mentored by University of California – Santa Cruz faculty Dr. Yat Li in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

In addition to Best of Fair, Gatton senior Varshith Kotagiri received 1^st place in the Chemistry category, the American Chemical Society Award, the Louisville Water Company Water Award, and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize for his research, “Developing a novel fluorescent sensor for detecting analytes in an aqueous medium.” Kotagiri is mentored by Western Kentucky University faculty Dr. Lei Li in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Gatton junior Hosamulhaq “Hosam” Brula (South Warren High School) received 2^nd in the Translational Medical Science category and the Society for In Vitro Biology Achievement Award for his research, “Novel Diagnostic Application of CRISPR-dCas9 and Graphene Oxide for Sensitive Detection of Antibiotic Resistance and Genetic Disorders.” Brula is mentored by Western Kentucky University faculty Dr. Moon-Soo Kim in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Gatton junior Trisha Chhabra (Bowling Green High School) received 1^st in the Computational Biology and Bioinformatics category and the Office of Naval Research Award for her research, “Structure and Analysis of the Bacteriophage MooMoo’s Tail.” Chhabra is mentored by Western Kentucky University faculty Dr. Rodney King in the Department of Biology. 

About The Gatton Academy The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first residential two-year program for gifted and talented juniors and seniors. The Gatton Academy’s students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Gatton Academy is a recipient of the 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from Insight Into Diversity Magazine and the Innovation Partnership Award from the National Consortium for Secondary STEM Schools.