Top Row: Aadit Pisal, Daniel Liang, Gerald Rashkovsky, Kush Khedkar, Caitlin Hernandez, Layton Lee, Mahnoosh Arsalan, Kayla Felner

Bottom Row: Oliver Chu, Stella Valle

The Livingston High School Algators were selected as one of 15 finalists in in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) AlgaePrize 2023–2025 competition. This competition is open to teams of two or more students currently enrolled in a U.S.-based high school, community college, college, university, or graduate program.  Student teams work on creative, research-based solutions for real-world issues in the algae value chain. 

The Algators was one of only three high school teams, with 12 finalists coming from the college ranks from places like the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, and the University of Connecticut. The students are taught by Diane Sigalas.  

In February, the 15 finalist teams each received $10,000 in funding to support their research projects. Over the following months, teams conducted their proposed research and provided research updates at regular intervals, including presenting their research synopsis to AlgaePrize organizers and completing an Introduction to Algae Massive Open Online Course. Teams presented their projects to a panel of judges during the AlgaePrize Competition Weekend, April 11–13, 2025, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. 

This team of seniors will be passing on their work upon their graduation to the next class of Biotechnology 2 students to complete and present.  What a legacy to leave behind!