Children are learning more about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) with the help of a high school student.
Shan Lateef from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) has earned the 2019 STEM Award.
The junior is one of five people who received the statewide recognition, according to a release from Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS).
Lateef was chosen as a STEM Phenom for introducing others to the field through One World, a non-profit he founded is the co-president of.
A former Benton Middle School student, Lateef was nominated by Eighth Grade Geometry Teacher Kristin Rojas.
“I’m very grateful to all my amazing teachers and mentors, starting from Marshall Elementary School, through Benton Middle School and now at Thomas Jefferson High School,” he said in a release. “I hope more students realize the potential of STEM and see how much it can improve the world we live in.”
Earlier this year, Lateef received the Neuroscience Research Prize from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the Child Neurology Society.
He has also co-authored a scientific manuscript, “Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation and the Antioxidant Curcumin on the Longevity, Fertility, and Physical Structure of Drosophila melanogaster: Can we defend our DNA?” with Delaney Walts from Colgan High School in Manassas.
It was published in the “Journal of Emerging Investigators” (JEI).
Lateef is now studying traumatic brain injury and considering methods for treating it.
The Prince William County resident hopes to pursue a career as a neuroscience.
