Martin Luther King High School COSMOS Students Advance to State Science Fair

Martin Luther King High School’s California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS) team makes an energetic return to the RUSD County Science and Engineering Fair, which once again showcased the enormous and profound scientific discoveries within the city of Riverside. Pitted against a multitude of talented high schools across the county, several COSMOS students’ projects found success and recognition within their competitive field, earning the opportunity to advance to the coveted California State Science and Engineering Fair in April.

This year, five projects from Martin Luther King High School advanced to the state level, with many others earning international recognition at the county level. One of the high-achieving COSMOS projects that advanced to state was conducted by current senior Shanmukh Bachhu and sophomore Patrick Moon, who placed first at both district and county, standing out in a highly innovative category of microbiology.

Over the course of two challenging years, the duo worked extensively to refine their research, spending their summers in the wet lab to gather and collect data for their project.

Bachhu and Moon aimed to understand the fundamental aspects of a microbe capable of breaking down a specific harmful chemical to the human body. By manipulating certain elements, they studied how the microbe grows and its fluctuating impact under the influence of certain chemicals. Through their hard work, their research could one day contribute to safer drinking water by helping remove harmful impurities from the environment.

Science fairs have been an ominous childhood memory haunting us for years, a nightmare many would certainly choose not to venture into again. However, when asked what motivated them to pursue science competitions and research, Moon reflected on his passion for science and the everlasting “scavenger hunt” for knowledge.

“I have always had a passion for discovering and learning new things,” Moon said, “and research gave me the opportunity to learn how the universe works, and how it impacts me and my hobbies as a whole.”

As for Bachhu, research was an opportunity to combat a disease that had plagued his childhood.

“After getting diagnosed with typhoid in elementary school, I really wanted to focus on improving water quality in Riverside and in the U.S. I wanted to make sure people don’t have to go through waterborne diseases like I did,” Bachhu said.

In a world where “ignorance is bliss,” Bachhu and Moon hope to not only promote the many issues hidden from the public eye, but to provide life-changing solutions to these prevailing concerns.

Now, Bachhu and Moon will head to Thousand Oaks to represent Martin Luther King High School in the annual California Science and Engineering Fair on April 12, where they will compete against some of the brightest young scientists in the state. Despite this seemingly uphill battle, Bachhu and Moon seem up for the challenge.

“What can I say?” Bachhu said. “Winning is all we do.”

By Erik Chen

Editor’s Note

Erik approached me (Ken) at the King Remembers Veterans event in March. We talked for a few minutes about community journalism and how important it is to have local news sources.

I asked him to find students at King who were doing something excellent, accomplishing something great, or putting something positive into the world—and to submit a story for publication.

This is the story he submitted. It went through the editorial process and turned out pretty great. This has been fun for me, and I hope to do more stories like this with local high school reporters in the future.