60th Annual STS (2000–2001)
Finalists
Sarah Adeline Kessans

INDIANA
Sarah Adeline Kessans, 17, of Salem, studied the effects of a natural herbicide for her Intel Science Talent Search botany project. Sarah's curiosity was piqued when she noticed that there is little plant growth under red oak trees. She made a natural herbicide by soaking red oak sawdust in water for seven days. Then she sprayed the resulting liquid over a plot of crops and weeds and compared the growth of those plants with others in a control group. She concluded that the herbicide did not affect the crops-corn, wheat and soybean plants-but it did have detrimental effects on the three species of weeds. Sarah's research may offer farmers an efficient, biodegradable and inexpensive new herbicide, especially in Indiana where sawmills are burdened with large quantities of red oak sawdust. At Eastern High School in Pekin, Sarah is president of the Science Research Club, vice president of the French Club, captain of the cross country team and co-captain of the track team. She has earned varsity letters annually in both track and basketball since her freshman year and is a drummer in the marching and concert bands. The daughter of Timothy and Nancy Kessans, Sarah hopes to study botany at Purdue.