By Kayla J. Marsh
Staff Writer
SHREWSBURY — A local resident has been selected out of a pool of nearly 1,200 students total from the 10th and 11th grades from across the country as a recipient of this year’s Emperor Science Award.
Nicholas Fotopoulos, a junior at Biotechnology High School on Kozloski Road in Freehold, was one of 100 students selected as a winner of the inaugural Emperor Science Award program, an initiative aimed at encouraging high school students to explore careers in science, specifically cancer research and care, through a unique mentoring opportunity.
“I just want to help the community,” Fotopoulos said in a recent interview. “Cancer touches so many people, and I want to help increase awareness about it and help advance what we know about it through my research.”
As part of the award, Fotopoulos received a Google Chrome Notebook, a $1,500 check and an opportunity to work with an esteemed scientist on a 12-week cancer research project this summer. The scientist leads a team of cancer researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, according to Fotopoulos.
As part of the Emperor Science Award program, run by Bristol-Myers Squibb, a founding donor, and partners Stand Up to Cancer and PBS LearningMedia, Fotopoulos had to submit an essay discussing the importance of cancer research and his experience with such a subject.
For his essay, Fotopoulos wrote about how his grandfather’s diagnosis and passing drove him toward cancer research and discussed some of the research he has done at Biotechnology High School.
“Before I was even born, my grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and when he passed away, it really struck a cord with me and encouraged me to look for a cure for cancer,” Fotopoulos said.
Despite an initial diagnosis of only having two years left to live, Fotopoulos said his grandfather lived 14 years longer than expected and was able to see the birth of his four grandchildren.
“Cancer inflicts this same kind of heartbreak in countless families, and my grandfather’s passing really pushed me to find that cure and prevent another family from feeling the way I did when I was 12,” he said.
The Shrewsbury teen said he is fortunate to have had the research opportunities at Biotechnology High School.
“I think if I had gone anywhere else, I really wouldn’t be as invested in research as I am,” he said. “We have so many unique opportunities, and I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Fotopoulos said Biotechnology High School, which features “well-furnished laboratories and rigorous scientific courses,” requires students learn biology all four years of high school while keeping them informed about new studies published.
“Freshman year we learn basic laboratory skills and terminology, how to test different variables … but it really made me more passionate about what I could be doing,” he said.
Fotopoulos said his adventure into cancer research began his sophomore year when he designed an experiment using ade2 yeast.
“Sophomore year, the skills you learn become even more extensive, and I performed my first experiment where I tested the oxidative measure of common deodorants on the mitochondrial DNA of yeast,” he said. “I found that all of the commercial deodorants induced cancer in the yeast due to their array of chemicals, including parabens and xenoestrogens, while the all-natural deodorant caused no mutations.”
As a junior, Fotopoulos said he is working on a project where he is attempting to block the function of the Krebs Cycle in yeast using NADH (sodium salt).
He said this would “prevent cancer cells from being able to consume any food and cause them to die.”
As part of the award, Fotopoulos received a Google Chrome Notebook, a $1,500 check and an opportunity to work with an esteemed scientist on a 12-week cancer research project this summer. The scientist leads a team of cancer researchers at Thomas Jefferson University, according to Fotopoulos.
“I am excited for the mentorship and furthering my knowledge and working toward my goal of preventing cancer for the many families that are affected every day,” he said.