Quote from Steve MacLellan on July 1, 2026, 12:51 pm

Lakshmi Agrawal traced a mysterious salmon die-off to a to a chemical hiding in car tires, then spent two years engineering a biodegradable filter to pull it out of the water.

Erin Brockovich and Suzanne Boothby
Jul 01, 2026

 

For years, scientists struggled to understand why otherwise healthy coho salmon were dying before they could spawn in streams throughout the Pacific Northwest, including waterways that feed into Puget Sound. Researchers eventually traced the deaths to an unexpected source—a toxic chemical called 6PPD-quinone, formed when a common additive in car tires breaks down and is washed from roads into waterways during rainstorms.

Inspired by this challenge, 17-year-old Lakshmi Agrawal developed a biodegradable sponge made from agricultural jute waste that removes up to 80 percent of 6PPD-quinone from contaminated water. Her material also captures heavy metals and other pollutants commonly found in stormwater runoff.

What makes Lakshmi’s work especially compelling is that it addresses a largely invisible pollution problem with real ecological consequences. Rather than simply studying the issue, she set out to create an affordable, sustainable tool that could potentially help communities and ecosystems impacted by tire-derived pollution.

Lakshmi was recognized at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world’s largest international STEM research competition for high school students, where nearly 1,700 young scientists from more than 60 countries, regions, and territories showcased original research tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. She won $75K.

What strikes me most about her story isn’t the prize money. It’s what she said when I asked about what gives her hope for the future. She talked about how we need to listen to one another and the collaborative nature of science. |Read more|