Five Questions with Ankit Biswas, winner of the 2022 $5,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award

In a world where human activity so often makes a detrimental impact on the Earth, there are individuals who actively seek ways to minimize their carbon footprint and make a positive difference.

Ankit Biswas is one of these people.

A talented 15-year-old from Charlotte, NC, Ankit won the $5,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment Award in last year’s Society for Science middle school STEM competition, now known as the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Thermo Fisher JIC). Inspired by his passion for environmental sustainability and armed with knowledge of optimization tools, Ankit aimed to assess the extensive carbon dioxide emissions released by rockets and evaluate their environmental impact. With meticulous analysis and insightful projections, he delved into the future, calculating how these emissions could be curbed without compromising the pace of the rocket industry. His findings suggest a carefully optimized solution – a mix of 41 petroleum-fueled rockets and 11 cryogenic-fueled rockets per year, each carrying an average payload of 29 metric tons.

Driven by a deep sense of purpose, Ankit isn’t content with merely scratching the surface of this crucial issue. His vision extends far beyond his initial research, as he plans to continue probing deeper into the ramifications of his findings. Through his unwavering dedication and tenacity, Ankit aims to shed light on the possibilities for sustainable space exploration, paving the way for a greener future.

Let’s hear more from Ankit below!

Which scientist – alive or deceased – would you want to solve scientific mysteries with and why?

Richard Feynman, by far. I’ve watched some of his lectures, and he seems so charismatic, friendly and energetic. I’m sure working with him would be a blast!

What would you like to be most renowned for?

I would like to be most renowned for solving one of the world’s major scientific problems and advancing our knowledge of the universe. The ultimate dream is to have my name in a scientific textbook hundreds of years in the future!

What would you say to inspire the next generation of scientists?
You’ll run into obstacles, whether it’s other people or your own self-doubt. It’s an inevitable part of the scientific process. A fatal flaw of ambitious people is that they believe nothing can stop them, but you will be stopped. The most successful scientists and innovators are those who can trail-blaze paths around those obstacles.

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What about your experience at the competition surprised you the most?

The most surprising part was meeting so many like-minded people who share so many similar experiences and yet are also so different. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and even though it was a competition, I’ve built many friendships and connections that will last for the rest of my life.

What was your most favorite memorable experience from the competition this year?

My favorite experience was building the hydraulic arm. I’m not an engineering guy, so building something with my own hands with little more than classroom materials was a fun and unique experience.

The application for the 2023 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC) is now open! The deadline is June 14, 2023 at 8p.m. ET. Learn more here. The Thermo Fisher JIC (formerly known as the Broadcom MASTERS) is Society for Science’s national STEM competition for middle school students, sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific. Nominees are chosen among the top 10% of the 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade competitors at Society-affiliated science and engineering fairs in the United States.