Wesley Chapel teen wins international contest for student inventors [Video]

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – A Wesley Chapel teenager won an international contest for student inventors.

Daniel Park, 16, has studied bacteria for past science projects and recently discovered a way to use bacteria to make water cleaner and safer from pollutants.

The eleventh grader at King High School in Tampa used artificial intelligence technology and other complex modeling software to study proteins made by certain bacteria.

“It really did look like art to me. And I was like, I also don’t know what the heck is happening here, but eventually I figured it out,” Park said of the colorful protein models generated by the intricate software.

The teenager discovered a way to quantify the effectiveness of certain bacteria and analyzed how it breaks down harmful chemicals in soil. These harmful chemicals, or pollutants, have the potential to affect drinking water.

“I think that is a common misconception with bacteria that people have. We often …