66th Annual STS (2006-2007)
Finalists
Kelydra Elizabeth Welcker

WEST VIRGINIA
Kelydra Elizabeth Welcker, 17, of Parkersburg, entered the Intel Science Talent Search in environmental science studying ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO), used in the production of non-stick cookware. Research suggests the Mid-Ohio Valley, where she lives, has the highest degree of APFO contamination in the world, inspiring Kelydra to find ways to detect and remove the potential carcinogen from contaminated drinking water. Kelydra first devised a simple way to test drinking water for APFO by measuring the foam on a shaken sample of boiled-down water. Then, working in her at-home lab, Kelydra developed two devices to remove APFO from drinking water: a tank using diffuse double layer electrosorption, and a low-cost tabletop device that can be used anywhere. She has patents pending for both inventions. Her research also suggests a statistically significant increase in West Nile Virus in APFO-contaminated areas such as hers. She plays clarinet at Parkersburg South High School and volunteers with the Reptile Rescue and Aid Society. The daughter of Dr. Peter and Karen Welcker, Kelydra has won numerous science awards and dreams of attending Harvard.