Turkish students' discovery clearing heavy metals from polluted water to be presented at Harvard

A group of high school students who have been working on the locust bean's ability to separate heavy metals from water have been invited to Harvard University in Boston to make a presentation about their project.

Carried out by İmge Uskun, Fatih Yeğin, Fatma Savran and Cansu Kınık, under the supervision of their teacher, Serpil Yapıcı, the "Adsorption of Heavy Metals with Locust Bean" project is the product of two years of work.

The team of amateur scientists in the Manisa province of Turkey discovered that heavy metals, a leading cause of cancer, found in polluted water can be filtered out using the beans.

Speaking to the press, Mr. Yapıcı, a chemistry teacher, said they have managed to develop an alternative waste water treatment system. Additionally, he explained that their method is much cheaper than other chemical techniques and that the system they have developed can be used in industrial sites.

The team has applied to the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) with their project and has also been invited to science conferences in the Czech Republic and France.

However, the most exciting news for the students was receiving an invitation to present at Harvard University, one of the top universities in the world. The team of students and their supervising teacher will make a presentation about their project at Harvard University from May 22-26.