In two March science fairs, high school junior Emma Markowitz’s brilliance shone brightly as she earned a full four-year tuition scholarship to University of Maine. Markowitz’s science project “A Non-Invasive Approach to the Treatment of Equine White Line Disease using Poly-wrap and Manuka Honey Topical” earned her second place. She developed a novel treatment for equine hoof disease pairing a polywrap (standard material used in orthopedic casts) with a Manuka honey paste as a possible antibacterial agent. The polywrap material alone reduced signs of infection, including hoof fissures, by 65% over a 10-week course of treatment.

The Maine State Science Fair was held March 26 at Colby College in Waterville. Markowitz and two Bangor High School students who finished first and third were grand prize award winners. Cuthbert Steadman placed first with his “Creating a Low-Cost Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring and Automatic Insulin Injection System with an Artificial Neural Network and Raspberry Pi," and William Nu finished third with his “Developing a scalable neural network model using medical imaging to better diagnose Alzheimer’s."

The Maine State Science Fair had 157 students representing 21 schools (including two home schools) from 10 counties. Students presented research or engineering projects to panels of 145 science, technology, engineering and mathematics experts from higher education, government and the private sector. 

“The students who participated in the Maine State Science Fair this year demonstrated creativity in the range of science questions they asked, persistence in completing their projects when things did not go as they had thought, and enthusiasm for teaching the judges what they had learned," said Laura Muller, program director for STEM and Undergraduate Education at The Jackson Laboratory and a Maine State Science Fair co-director. “Even more inspiring was the way participants looked at questions related to their experiences living in Maine." 

The Maine State Science Fair’s three grand prize winners received college scholarship offers. Beside the full four-year tuition to University of Maine, Markowitz’s scholarship includes a mentor and an annual research budget. She also received a partial scholarship offer from University of New England. The Biddeford private school offered a $5,000 scholarship renewable up to four years. Markowitz also received a $1,500 scholarship from University of Maine at Augusta renewable up to four years. 

Markowitz is overwhelmed by the success her science project received. “Yes, I’m surprised,” she said. “And I’m excited, too. I presented my research in poster form last month in front of scientists at the University of New Hampshire which was amazing. It was great seeing so many amazing projects within a couple days.”

UNH hosted the Northern New England Science and Humanities Symposium. In the regional competition, her research earned a first place designation. Her success in the Maine State Science Fair earned her a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. In May, she will represent Maine along with the other two grand prize winners and present her research at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

So how does a scientist develop her research into a meaningful study? For Markowitz, she drew from her parents’ experience. White Line Disease impacts the animal’s hoof inner wall and creates a cavity.  She created a concoction of a Manuka honey and bentonite clay which served as an antimicrobial agent in fighting the disease. “My mother is a farrier and father is a beekeeper so that’s how I came up with the experiment. I really enjoyed researching how honey’s antimicrobial agents worked,” she said. 

Besides her homeschooling, Markowitz takes several courses at Boothbay Region High School. She takes honors recent history, personal finance and literature. Before Markowitz attends college, she still has one year of high school remaining. Markowitz hasn’t made a decision on a college. “I’m still working on a college, but the full scholarship is very tempting, and I’m very grateful,” she said. “My dream school would either be Harvard or Stanford because they have outstanding research bee hives.”

For now, Markowitz will concentrate on her high school subjects and possibly start thinking about winning more awards at 2023 science fairs. “I really am a big science nerd, and I want to get the most out of my high school education,” she said. “I enjoying delving into something deeply, and science gives me an opportunity to dive into a subject intensely.”