By Zach Patberg
Anna Pilishvili and Pryia Maldhavan both scored big with their botany research at two city science competitions and are now headed to upcoming national and international fairs.Pilishvili, of Rego Park, was one of only 16 students out of 1,500 applicants in New York selected to represent the state at the weeklong International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix starting May 8.”I was jumping up and down,” she said, describing her reaction to the news.Her presentation, for which she was named a semifinalist at a February fair at City College and then a finalist at Brooklyn's Polytechnic Institute, involved comparing the cell structures of a normal saffron plant with those of one she infected with a mutant gene. Contrary to her hypothesis that the mutation would cause the aquatic plant's cytoskeleton to collapse, Pilishvili found that the cell structure held due to other proteins taking over for failing ones.”If you see it, it's really brilliant,” she said of the spotty image inside the plant caused by the mutant gene, aptly called “Polka-dot.”The discovery that one or more proteins can swap roles could result in broader applications, such as when treating a person who suffers from a protein deficiency.”It emphasized that mutant genes should be researched because they can enable new proteins to be identified,” Pilishvili said.Pryia, who also studied the saffron plant, was picked at last month's Junior Science and Humanitarian Symposium fair at Manhattan's New York Academy of Sciences as one of five out of 75 semifinalists to represent the state in April at the National Science Fair in San Diego.The Rego Park resident examined the effects of chlorophyll depletions by injecting chloropyll-reducing mutant spores into one saffron and comparing it to a wild saffron with normal chlorophyll levels. In addition to statistically proving that the mutant chemical lowered chlorophyll concentration by a certain amount, Pryia also discovered that the mutated, or “pale,” plant grew at a slower rate.She eventually hopes the mutant gene will be used as a tool to kill weeds in a much less environmentally toxic way than pesticides. “It'll involve a lot more hard work,” she said. “But I need to see how it will help society.”Upon hearing that she was to go national with her work, Pryia said, “I was so surprised. I was telling my teacher I wanted to go home, then they announced it. All my friends were so excited.”But the two young botanists, both of whom aspire to prestigious colleges and careers in medical research, consider there feats merely the tip of the iceberg. As Pryia said, “This is just the beginning.”Reach reporter Zach Patberg by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
