Broadcom MASTERS Alum Wins First Prize from EU
River Grace’s Passion for Biology Reaps Continued Rewards in STEM
Perpetual curiosity and a passion for animals has propelled River Grace, 17 of Melbourne, Florida from winning the Samueli Prize at the Broadcom MASTERS in 2013 to his 1st place finish at the 2016 European Union (EU) Contest for Young Scientists last month. One of only 3 Americans invited to compete, Grace brought home a big win for the United States for his investigations of the brahminy blindsnake’s central nervous system.
“I was both astounded and deeply grateful to have been selected for the honor of 1st place, and delighted to represent my nation and meet other young scientists who had a passion for knowledge, just like me – actually this reminded me a lot of the Broadcom MASTERS!” Grace said.
Grace’s investigation uncovered that the blindsnake has functional eyes (no one knew!)
When Grace first identified a blindsnake, his immediate thought was “are they really blind?” He then took his inquiry deeper to examine the snake’s […]