Science Natural

’s love of science took root naturally.

As a kid, Kevin collected seashells, helped with his family’s garden and “grew up around nature.”

Fast forward to now, and Kevin, 17, a senior at , is setting pace for the evolution of the nature he came to love as a child – and earning money for himself and his school in the process.

The Horsham student won second place in the American Society of Human Genetics’ National DNA Day Essay Contest recently, which netted him $600, as well as a $600 grant for science teacher Maria Simon to use in purchasing new genetics laboratory equipment for Hatboro-Horsham biology classes.

Simon, who along with colleague Jessica D’Amico, is Kevin’s advisor in the high school’s science club, said she was not surprised that Kevin fared so well in the contest, which saw entries from nearly 6,000 essayists from 43 U.S. states, Canada, Italy, China, Turkey, Greece, India, Bangladesh, and Lithuania.

“We know he’s going to go on and do great things,” Simon said.

Since the essay required a teacher submission, Simon sent Kevin’s entry in, but credits the aspiring pre-med student and biology major with seeking out the opportunity.

An avid pianist, reader, and, gardener of carnivorous plants, said he came upon the topic following a Google search for a science-based essay contest to enter. Ten hours of research and four hours of writing later, Kevin finished his essay on gene regulation - a process by which genes influence development, health, and disease in organisms as they are turned on or off in precise ways and at specific times, according to a press release issued by the American Society of Human Genetics.

“The development of an organism is an intricate process dependent upon genetic instruction,” Kevin wrote in his prize-winning essay. “Although every cell in an organism contains the same DNA, it is obvious that cells exhibit different properties.”

Because of the expense associated with genetics-related equipment, Hatboro-Horsham AP biology teacher Joe Birzes said supplies are often borrowed from Princeton – one of two schools that Zhang is considering attending after high school.

Upcoming labs will use an electrophoresis chamber to analyze DNA, he said.

“You put in a sample and it separates them electrically,” Birzees said, adding that similar technology is used in crime investigations. “It’s a DNA fingerprint.”

A subsequent lab will grind up and extract DNA from students’ snack foods to see if it was genetically modified - something that he said is becoming more commonplace.

Funds received from Kevin’s award will help Hatboro-Horsham buy more of the supplies needed to carry out these and other educational labs, Birzees said.

It seems fitting that Kevin's early love of nature will help to fund nature-related learning initiatives.