A group of professionals is turning to a determined Buffalo Grove eighth-grader for ideas on how to make salt water drinkable.
“I was the kid who kept asking questions,” said student Michelle Velyunskiy. “That drove me into science and chemistry. Science, chemistry and mathematics are really the things that explain everything else.”
As a seventh grader at Aptakisic Junior High, Velyunskiy took part in a statewide Illinois Junior Academy of Science science fair, focusing on salt water in the oceans, the complexities of converting it into drinkable water and transporting it to people.
She won the Silver Award during the fair for her project titled, “Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink.” Next year, Michelle is scheduled to give a 20-minute presentation to the Illinois section of the American Water Works Association during a conference in Springfield.
Her subject will be on “solar ponds,” an all-natural method of using sunlight and plants to desalinate salt water, she said.
Solar panels can heat a pool, and cause salt to crystallize and fall to the bottom, she said, while certain plants floating on the surface will eat the bacteria. Her research also recounts the successes California and Saudi Arabia have seen with solar panels.
Q: The Earth has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of water. Why is desalination an important topic?
A: It’s one of the most important things we can focus on right now. The most common method of desalination has always been reverse osmosis, pushing water through a membrane, which leaves a lot of waste behind. Even in the past, it’s been an incredibly delicate balance between how much industry there is, which puts the waste somewhere else and forgets about it, and how much we have to drink.
Q: Chicago is on the shore of a major body of water, and we’re doing fine right now. California is on the shore of a major body of water, and they’re having an emergency. What can Chicago learn from California to prevent their crisis from spreading here?
A: California, it relies, like Illinois, on farming. The thing is there simply isn’t enough water for everybody to drink and still farm. But Illinois has significantly more rain. Because California is a year-round warm climate, it’s been much more difficult there. They just can’t make enough of it fast enough.
Q: You’re in junior high, and you’re going to address professionals on this subject. How did it feel when they came up to you and gave you the invitation?
A: It felt kind of unreal. I’ve checked out the other presenters at the conference and most of them are adults. I’m just going to have to study a lot more on this topic. I’m going to have to do a lot of reading. I do enjoy public speaking. I’ve been doing debate for three years now. It’s something that I especially like to do if I know what I’m talking about.
Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban Chicago.
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