When four Manalapan High School sophomores were challenged to come up with a project that reflects changes they would like to see made in the world, they not only rose to the occasion, they provided a foundation for change that can bring hope, and potentially good health to many people.
AMY ROSEN Manalapan High School students (l-r) Vaidhy Murti, Jeremy Puthumana, Tejas Srinivasan and Mojin Chen were honored for their entry in the ExploraVision science competition, which is sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association. The students, who attend the Science and Engineering Learning Center at Manalapan, developed a theory that uses innovative gene therapy technology to cure AIDS. The students’ hard work was recently rewarded when they were presented with individual awards proclaiming their team to be among the 24 regional winning teams of this year’s Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision competition. The awards ceremony took place at Manalapan High School on March 31.
Sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the ExploraVision competition asks students in kindergarten through 12th grade to imagine ideas for technologies that could exist in 20 years.
Mojin Chen, Vaidhy Murti, Tejas Srinivasan and Jeremy Puthumana, all of whom are students in the Freehold Regional High School District’s Science and Engineering Learning Center at Manalapan High School, created CHANGE (Counteracting HIV/AIDS through New Gene Enhancement). Their concept uses innovative gene therapy technology to cure AIDS.
The four young men are all residents of the Morganville section of Marlboro.
Motivated by the AIDS epidemic in Africa and a desire to help the more than 33 million people worldwide who have AIDS, the four students set out to find a safe, easy, one-time treatment for the disease.
The young scholars believe their concept has the potential to cure human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Through their research for project CHANGE, the students learned that some animals and people are resistant to the HIV virus. They surmised that if the resistant gene is removed from a donor and put into a virus which is then injected into the bone marrow of someone who has AIDS, the resistant gene will replicate and go through each patient’s system and provide them with an immunity to AIDS.
They noted that as of yet, the technology has not been developed to make important parts of their theory into a reality, such as the ability to remove the genes from a donor, but they hope this theory can be developed in the future. Their wish is that it has the potential to, one day, cure and prevent HIV and AIDS, thus bringing CHANGE to the world as it is now.
The ExploraVision competition challenges students working in teams of two to four to research scientific principles and current technologies as the basis for designing innovative technologies that could exist in 20 years.
Many teachers across the country incorporate the ExploraVision program into their regular science curriculum, as did Bharathi Srinivas for her students in the FRHSD Science and Engineering program. Srinivas, who is a chemistry teacher at the school, was the team’s adviser for the competition.
Srinivas offered support and guidance as the students followed the steps in the competition that led to their eventual recognition as regional semifinalists.
The students’ mentor was Kamala Murti, an eighth-grade teacher at the Marlboro Memorial Middle School, and mother of Team CHANGE member Vaidhy Murti.
Srinivas and Murti will continue their roles as the team advances to the second phase of the competition at the national level.
Vaidhy explained the steps the students were required to take for the competition.
“In the first phase, we had to have five simulated webpage graphics, which were basically pictures of what we want our website to look like. The second phase entails making those pictures and transforming them into an actual website. Now that we got to the second round, those pictures have to become a website. We’re making our vision a reality,” he said.
The boys worked together on the research, and each continues to play an integral part in putting the visual components of the project together.
Jeremy designed the model for the first phase of the project.
Tejas used a Flash program to make a simulation of their vision of the project.
Mojen arranged the website content and Vaidhy designed the website. They are now working together to put the information onto the website.
At the awards ceremony Theresa Morales, the Science and Engineering program director, welcomed the parents, teachers and administrators in attendance and explained, “The ExploraVision program is one of the world’s largest K-12 science and technology competitions. This year the program received 4,388 team entries representing the participation of 13,774 students from across the United States and Canada. The program selects the 24 regional winners based on how they combine imagination with the tools of real scientific research to envision future technologies that could realistically exist in 20 years.
“Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia as well as Washington, D.C., Armed Forces America, Armed Forces Europe and Armed Forces Pacific comprised Region 2. Our students were the regional winners in grades 10-12 in Region 2,” Morales said.
Team CHANGE was the only group from New Jersey chosen to be semifinalists in the ExploraVision regional awards.
Three teams from Manalapan High School’s Science and Engineering Learning Center entered the ExploraVision competition for the first time this year. Srinivas explained that two of those three teams were placed in the top 10 percent in the United States at the regional level. Another MHS team received honorable mention.
David Huynh, Chintav Shah and Tom Puglisi created an affordable and environmentally friendly alternate fuel source. The three sophomores received honorable mention for their efforts.
Srinivas said, “These kids in the Science and Engineering program can think beyond the box. All they need is a little guidance, a little pressure and a little leadership and they go all the way.”
During the awards ceremony, FRHSD Superintendent of Schools James Wasser congratulated Mojin, Vaidhy, Tejas and Jeremy, as well as the parents and staff members. He said, “These are some terrific young men and we’re very proud of them. Congratulations, and we hope to see you in bigger and better things in the future.”
Tamura Taylor, a representative from Toshiba, presented the awards to the four students as well as to Srinivas and Murti. She explained that the students were encouraged to “explore a vision” of future technology and imagination using the tools of science and technology to come up with a creative idea to make change in the world. She said the ExploraVision program, now in its 17th year, fosters a spirit of teamwork and encourages young minds to envision the technologies of tomorrow.
Taylor said, “The program is a shining example of a company that promotes and awards the power of perseverance, imagination and creativity.”
She congratulated the students and thanked them for helping to improve the world.
The students have been working on the first phase of the competition on the regional level since the end of December. For the second phase, the national level, the website must be submitted by April 9.
A panel of educators from the National Science Teachers Association judged the submissions. The concepts that they would like to see further developed were chosen to go on to the national level of competition.
If chosen to be among the four firstplace ExploraVision national winning teams, each student in Team CHANGE will receive a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond. If their team is one of the four second-place teams, each student will receive a $5,000 savings bond. All eight teams will receive a trip with their families, mentor and coach to Washington, D.C., for a gala awards weekend in June.
At the end of the March 31 ceremony, Vaidhy, Jeremy, Tejas and Mojin thanked Toshiba, the NSTA, Srinivas, Murti and Morales in addition to everyone else involved in making the day possible. They said their project has taught them what it takes to be a successful research group and they hope that what they have learned will bring the group and the world into the future.
For more information about the ExploraVision competition and the other students’ projects, visit www.Exploravision.com.

