She Blinded Me With Science: Sarah Volz Blows Minds, Converts Algae Into Fuel

When I was in high school, I looked at science class as an opportunity to put real work into my precious future via countless games of MASH. I would not stop until I had the M for Mansion and Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas as my husband. In retrospect, I probably should have been paying more attention because as an adult, I f-ing love science. See also: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and Carl Sagan. They are/were the COOLEST, which is something I would have never said as a teenager. But the youth of today, they’re different. I’m both intimidated and amazed by the things kids are pulling off when they’re not doing stuff like wearing fedoras and Chanel facemasks at the same time.

Like Sarah Volz, for example. Homegirl has a state-of-the-art laboratory in her Colorado Springs bedroom, where she’s attempting to convert algae into an alternative fuel source.

I mean … That is like, light years away from a baking soda volcano. Which is probably why she got invited to the annual White House Science Fair and got a personal shout-out from President Obama. Volz also just won $100,000 in the Intel Science Talent Search, which is the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. While teenage Parry would probably have spent most of that money on Marlboro Menthol Lights, Chick-fil-A and Coors Light, teenage Sarah will likely put her winnings towards tuition at MIT, where she’ll be a freshman next fall.

“As human beings, we are scientists,” she said, “because we’re curious, we question. That’s what science is.”

Mind blown.

Featured image courtesy of CBS News