MVS seventh grader Dhilen Soin, along with brother Avi Soin, had great success at the The Ohio Academy of Science District 18 Virtual Science Fair!

The brothers wanted to create a device that would provide light on demand, and came up with an innovative solution using biology! Their “Perfect Bioluminescent Tornado” system uses bioluminescent algae called dinoflagellates, which live in water that can be disturbed by a vortex to cause the algae to give off light. Dhilen writes, “If humans wanted to do deep space travel – we could use these for light generation and oxygen creation, and it is self sustaining.” He also sees potential for the device as a cool educational toy in the meantime.

With these uses in mind, Dhilen and Avi also applied for and were issued a patent for their bioluminescent tornado, making Dhilen one of the youngest inventors in the United States for his patent year. The brothers will go on to represent MVS at the state science fair in May after earning a perfect 40/40 score at the district fair. Congratulations!