Oxbridge Academy junior Maria Elena Grimmett will be recognized as one of the top budding scientists in the state later this month.
The Jupiter resident was chosen to compete in the 60th annual State Science & Engineering Fair, scheduled March 31 through April 2 in Lakeland, where she is the three-time defending state champion in environmental science.
She won Best-in-Fair for the third year and Best-in-Category for the sixth consecutive year at the regional science fair in December and will now advance to the state competition with 40 other talented students from Palm Beach County.
Grimmett has been studying water pollution and how to remove organic contaminants from ground water since the age of 10 and has been making science fair projects since the third grade.
At the age of 14, Grimmett became the youngest person ever to publish original research in the Journal of Environmental Quality. Now 16 years old, she holds a top 10 international ranking for pre-college environmental science research for both 2013 and 2014.
Grimmett and all of the other top students from the regional science fair were honored March 25 at a reception held at Palm Beach State College’s Palm Beach Gardens campus hosted by Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast, the Palm Beach County School District, Palm Beach State College and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation.
Oxbridge Academy is located at 3151 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach, FL, 33409. For more information, visit www.oapb.org or call (561) 972-9600.
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