Meet Elizabeth Hanechak, the 18-year-old Massachusetts student whose microbial system could convert plastic waste into drinking water and fertiliser, earning a $100,000 scholarship

Global Science Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:42:45 GMT Moderate confidence — 73/100

Image: Left/Davidson Institute/Right/Elizabeth Hanechak/LinkedInMany young people are still working out how to change the world, but Elizabeth Hanechak has already started with the plastic choking our planet.
At eighteen, the student from Russell, Massachusetts, designed a microbial system that uses an engineered enzyme and microscopic algae to break plastic waste down into drinkable water and fertiliser materials.
Her work earned one of the nation's most prestigious honours for students eighteen and younger.

Image: Left/Davidson Institute/Right/Elizabeth Hanechak/LinkedInMany young people are still working out how to change the world, but Elizabeth Hanechak has already started with the plastic choking our planet.
At eighteen, the student from Russell, Massachusetts, designed a microbial system that uses an engineered enzyme and microscopic algae to break plastic waste down into drinkable water and fertiliser materials.
Her work earned one of the nation's most prestigious honours for students eighteen and younger.

Sources: Times of India