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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | MAY 26, 2019
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Scottsdale BASIS teen shows science prowess BY KAYLA RUTLEDGE Progress Staff Writer
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oining thousands of teens from around the world at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Scottsdale and East Valley students showed off their skills and won prize money while exploring ways to create a better world through their knowledge. In all, 1, 00 �inalists representing 0 countries, gathered recently to have their projects judged by industry professionals with a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in one of the scienti�ic disciplines. The students were among some of the world’s most accomplished and most had already won championships in state, region or national science competitions this year. Each project started with a bolt of inspiration. Kasyap Chakravadhanula, a sophomore at BASIS Scottsdale, created a smartphone app that tests for diabetic retinopathy — the world’s leading cause of blindness — and cardiovascular risk. Kasyap was inspired to create his proj-
Kasyap Chakravadhanula, a sophmore at BASIS Scottsdale, created a smartphone app that tests for a diabetic condition that is the world's leading cause of blindness. (Kayla Rutledge/Progress Staff)
ect after his biology teacher told the class he had to get a test for diabetic retinopathy and was “complaining about how tedious and costly it was.” The app is fully automated, and unlike traditional testing, does not require blood or a week-long wait. A snapshot of the retina and some background information from the patient is all that is necessary to receive results back with 80 percent accuracy. At just $15 per test, Kasyap hopes to one day see it in a clinical setting. “I want to increase doctor’s con�idence in the model, so right now what I’m doing is further explaining how this model is doing what it’s doing. If a doctor can see that, they will �ind this is a trustworthy model we can use,” said Kasyap. Kasyap is currently in contact with a professor at tanford to re�ine the test hand improve its accuracy, and won fourth place and $500 for his project at ISEF. After Mindy Long’s grandmother passed away partly because there
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Scottsdale youth makes ’18 Under 18’ list BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer
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his year’s 2019 Junior Achievement 18 Under 18 in Arizona includes one of Scottsdale’s very
own. Jackson Bukata, 18, who just graduated from BASIS Scottsdale, has already worked with Mayo Clinic researchers on colon cancer research, and he completed an internship at Arizona State University helping to create a model of the type of mosquito that spreads the Zika virus to better determine the regions most susceptible to it. But even with said impressive past experiences, he was surprised he made the cut. “A lot of people that were on the list tended to have one crowning achievement, where I felt like I’ve had several smaller endeavors. Because they’re going to have that one headliner, I wasn’t quite sure if I would get it or not,” Bukata admitted. The annual 18 Under 18 awards program honors the most outstanding young people in the state, showcasing up-and-comers who show exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, com-
Junior Achievement of Arizona President Katherine Cecala awards BASIS Scottsdale student Jackson Bukata with the 18 Under 18 award. (Rick D’Elia/Special to the Progress)
munity service and more. Bukata and the 17 other recipients were chosen out of hundreds of nominees. He was nominated by his school’s guidance counselor. From creating a food distribution net-
work in Chino Valley to provide weekend meals for 300 low-income students to being the general manager and head chef of a full-�ledged �ine-dining restaurant in Phoenix, this year’s recipients included entre-
preneurs, activists, scientists and more. Junior Achievement of Arizona’s (JA) goal is to empower future generations by equipping them with the skills, knowledge and tools to manage money, plan for the future and make smart academic, career and economic choices. Each year, JA serves more than 80,000 students since its founding 0 years ago, the nonpro�it organization has served over two million. During Bukata’s internship at Mayo Clinic last summer, he assisted in creating a deep-learning algorithm that could more readily identify colon cancer in patients. He worked with Jianming Liang, associate professor and a member of graduate faculties of biomedical informatics, computer science, computer engineering and biomedical engineering at ASU. “It was amazing being part of such a large institution, even though I was still in high school. It was amazing being in a center for cutting-edge research, while a week earlier I was �inishing up junior year,” Bukata said. “[Liang] really helped
JACKSON
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