Politics & Government

Fremont Eighth-Grader's Science Project Wows White House

Jessika Baral rubbed elbows with President Barack Obama thanks to eye research that has led to a discovery she is patenting.

 

Bay City News  -- A Fremont middle school student rubbed shoulders with President Barack Obama Monday in Washington, D.C., where she was honored for her achievements in science and technology.
           Obama hosted 100 students from throughout the U.S. to the third
White House Science Fair including Fremont eighth-grader Jessika Baral,
according to White House officials.
           Jessika, 13, was back in her classroom Tuesday at Hopkins Junior
High School at 600 Driscoll Road where she said her classmates and teachers
were proud of her visit to the nation's capital.
           In a phone interview this afternoon, Jessika said she got to talk
about her research on eye muscle weakness to a lot of famous people, such as
one of Obama's science advisors, Dr. John P. Holdren, and TV science
personality Bill Nye.
           "I got to meet a lot of people who do great research," she said.
           Jessika was a finalist in the 2012 Broadcom MASTERS competition
for her eye fatigue research, which earned her the presidential visit.
           Her father accompanied her to Washington, D.C., she said, however
he was not able to come to the fair held in the East Wing where she exhibited
her research.
           As many as 40 students at the White House fair had earned other
top science achievements, such as finalists in other Society for Science and
the Public science and engineering competitions.
           Jessika said other students presented projects about detecting
cancer, working with bio-fuels and one student even made a robotic arm.
           After determining tired eye problems suffered by her family and
friends were connected with hours of staring at small digital screens she
decided to design a device to strengthen eye muscles and improve peripheral
vision.
           Using a foam board, different colored LED lights, a vision disk to
measure vision and other basic materials, she created a device that is worn
like headgear and hovers over the face and trains the eyes to look in various
directions and increase muscle endurance.
           Hopkins Junior High School Principal Mary Miller said there was a
PA announcement at the school Tuesday morning congratulating Jessika for her
White House presentation.
           "She is a lovely young lady," Miller said. "She is humble and very
eloquent explaining about the device and the science behind it."
           Jessika wants to use her prize money to manufacture 200 of the
devices to send to local schools, but she said she is first working on
patenting her invention.
           She also has plans to further her research about eye troubles by
checking on participants to see if their vision has improved in the past
year.
           When not testing vision strength she plays trombone, performs
Indian dance and studies computer programming.
           Jessika said she wants to pursue a science and research career
after continuing her studies in high school and college.
           Jessika said she was in the same room with Obama as he told the
students to stay focused on learning science, keep experimenting and that
"people should value science."
           "That will stick with me," she said today reflecting on her White
House visit.
           Jessika also had her own advice for her peers.
           "Stay curious," she said.
           Obama's science fair serves as an event to celebrate science,
technology, engineering, and math education, collectively known as STEM.

(Watch Jessica being interviewed on ABC 7 television news.)

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