2025 WTN Youth Science Contest Winners

  

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Washington Tracking Network Youth Science Contest 2025

Each year the Washington Tracking Network Youth Science Contest grows, with more students submitting amazing projects. It’s inspiring to see the diversity of health issues the students care about and how they approach them. Participants showed creativity, insight, and critical thinking in their projects.

Congratulations to all our winners!

We invite you to explore the winning projects below.

Health Science - Individual Division

1st Place - Relationship Between Household Income and Loss to Follow Up for Neonatal Hearing Screening in Washington State, by Anisha Upasani, Tesla STEM High School Slideshow (PDF)

2nd Place - The Effects of Traffic Air Pollution on Washington Health, by Kiani Valencia, Selah High School Virtual poster (PDF)

3rd Place - Invisible Chemicals, Visible Impact: Understanding PFAS and Cancer, by Madison Durbin, Selah High School Virtual poster (PDF)

Health Science - Group Division

1st Place - Lead in School Drinking Water, by Beza Mersa, Alexander H., and another student, Shorecrest High School Slideshow (PDF)

2nd Place - The Health Divide: Exploring the Impact of Economic Inequality on Public Health in Washington State, by Eshaan Verma and Siddharth Yenamandra, Eastlake High School Paper (PDF)

3rd Place - The Correlation Between Obesity, Poverty, and Esophageal Cancer, by Keerthi Rajesh and Aadya Bansal, Tesla STEM High School Paper (PDF)

Science Communication - Individual Division

1st Place - Every Breath Counts, by Eesha Sreejith, Annie Wright Schools Social media campaign (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

2nd Place - Fentanyl: The Silent Killer, by Hasith Atluri, Skyline High School Social media campaign (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

3rd Place - Lead Exposure: Unseen Risks for Growing Minds, by Senul Wickramaratna, Woodinville High School Infographic (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

Science Communication - Group Division

1st Place - What’s in Your Water? A Wake Up Call for Our Schools, by Immanuel Wolde and Aazmeer Uddin, Shorecrest High School Slideshow (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

2nd Place (tie) - Skin Cancer, by Imaan Khalid and Binderiya Bayarsaikhan, Shorecrest High School Infographic (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

2nd Place (tie) - The Opioid Epidemic, by Inesh Dey, Iris Dey and Ishaan Kothari, Tesla STEM High School Webpage and context paper (PDF)

3rd Place - Wildfire Smoke, by Berkley Gorre, Quinn Whorley, and Ashley Payne, Shorecrest High School Virtual poster (PDF) and context paper (PDF)

Program and Policy Design - Individual Division

1st Place - Correlation Between Rural Cardiovascular Disease Mortality and Environmental and Socioeconomic Factors: A Multi-step Initiative to Decrease Rural CV Mortality, by Shruthi Lingam-Nattamai, Olympia High School Paper (PDF)

2nd Place - Drug Overdose Disparities: Preventing Teen Deaths to Overdose and Patching Rural and Age Disparities, by Shrita Palla, North Creek High School Slideshow (PDF)

3rd Place - Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs): Why HAIs Are a Problem in Healthcare and How We Can Work to Prevent Them, by a student at Shorecrest High School Slideshow (PDF)

Program and Policy Design - Group Division

1st Place - Obesity Preventative Measures for Adolescents Through Physical Activity in Washington State, by Sophia Liao and Chloe Byun, King’s School Paper (PDF)