Science Fair is one of my favorite events of the year because I enjoy the science and art of preparing a project.   Even so, this project is special to me because it involves a potential way to reduce diseases such as Malaraia and West Nile Virus. According to the World Health Organization 15-25% of all deaths of children under the age of 5 are due to Malaria.  While Malaria isn't a big concern in my area, West Nile Virus is!  In 2008 Texas Ranked 4th  in the Nation in human West Nile Virus cases. If we could find a way to safely and organically bring mosquito populations back into a natural balance we could reduce the spread of this awful disease. 

My project explores whether a tiny but hearty crustacean called the copepod is a possible answer to this huge problem.  In the past I've studied whether copepods could kill as many mosquito larvae as the average pesticide under both optimal and sub-optimal conditions. This year I studied the potential unintended consequences of using copepods for pest control and specifically whether freshwater copepods host viable but not culturable forms of V. cholerae, the bacterium responsible for the disease cholera.  I am constantly updating and revising content  on my project.  I invite you to explore my copepod project.