Gatton Academy Girl takes on Washsington, D.C.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – A Greenwood High School senior and Gatton Academy student just won an award for top presentation at the Kentucky Academy of Science’s latest annual meeting.

The KSA is to “foster scientific discovery and understanding in Kentucky” and of the ways they do so are with research grants and recognition to rising scientists. One such young scientist  gaining some noteriety would be Sierra Durkee.

She’s the daughter of Josh Durkee, university meteorologist and professor at Western Kentucky University, with whom she has shared some of her milestones. Speaking with Dr. Durkee, his first research conference was the KSA, and he also had a top presentation, but as an upperclassman in college. Dr. Durkee said “What she’s accomplishing now the age of 17 in her junior and senior year of high school at the same type of thing where I was at my junior and senior year of college”.

After hearing her presentation on “toxic bacteriophage genes”, judges who were also in the biology field decided her presentation in the microbiology category warranted a top spot and with that she was also invited to the National Academy of Science meeting in Washington, D.C. to represent Kentucky along with 7 other students from the state.

The NSA’s research conference will be in March of this year.